Customer Reviews

William Morris in Applique: Six Stunning Projects and Over Forty Individual Designs

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I've always had a penchant for William Morris designs. In fact, many years ago, I found a picture of a linen tea towel in a women's magazine, with an all over pattern attributed to William Morris. I've had this piece of paper pinned to my cork board for far longer than I can remember, with the intention of making a quilt with this pattern as inspiration.

Well, that was the idea. But I've always felt that the patterns of William Morris were too BIG, too COMPLICATED, too VAST and too OVERWHELMING to be able to put into a quilt.

It's a good thing I've procrastinated on this, because in the mean time Australian quilter Michele Hill has taken all the "ouch and angst" out of the process and has presented the world with a William Morris inspired quilt book that will become a "must have" in the private library of all quilters the world over. The book is titled William Morris in Appliqué and as far as I can tell is unique in its form and content in its subject matter - William Morris designs.

What Michele has done is to take the essence of the patterns of William Morris and created the most wonderful appliqué designs, reflecting the magnificence and wonderment of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century, and the incredible balance of the William Morris design.

C&T Publishing have given Michele her head when designing this publication. No effort has been spared to present to the quilter, both newly acquainted with the genre of appliqué, and those that have a been needle turning for ever, the most beautifully detailed set of instructions for re-creating these absolutely mind-blowing quilts.

Michele spends the first part of her book detailing the life and times of William Morris and his very strong connection to Australia - especially the state of South Australia. Michele explains her journey of discovery in William Morris design and how she was able to use inspiration from these designs in her own versions.

There are six beautiful creations depicting the most glorious adaptations of William Morris patterns, and each set of instructions have the most gorgeous photographs and diagrams. It is a joy to just flip through page after page.

Every one of the patterns that Michele presents are achievable because of the detailed instructions and the considerable insets that show magnified detail.

The pattern sheets that accompany this publication have been designed by a quilter - of this I'm sure. The patterns have been set out clearly and are easy to find and follow.

Finally, at the end of the book, Michele takes the time to list the Bibliography, together with and a great list of collections and places to visit and most helpfully, a list of websites - all to do with the William Morris phenomenon.

I can thoroughly recommend this book to all quilters, no matter where you are in your quilting journey - you will eventually want to make something from this delightful publication.

This is a fabulous book, especially if you are interested in applique. There are several sheets of applique designs and some beautiful quilts and pillows. Also contains excellent photographic instructions - I would recommend this book without hesitation. Note that the designs are very intricate and therefore the author does not recommend needle turn applique. She uses hand and machine button hole techniques and the results really are stunning.

Sometimes when I purchase a quilt book, I fall in love with one or maybe two patterns. Well, I absolutely love EVERYTHING in this book. The difficulty is deciding which pattern to try first! Michele Hill has captured Morris for applique as beautifully as Beth Russell did in needlepoint. She obviously knows and loves her subject. Her photographs and instructions are complete and clear--no step in her process appears to have been overlooked. The nice mix of hand and machine applique and embellishment add to the rich intricacy of her designs, not necessarily to the difficulty. This is easily the best quilt book I have ever purchsed.

This book is an absolute inspiration. It has beautiful applique designs and a wonderful written history of William Morris as a designer. I will attempt one of the larger quilts once I have found the perfect fabric. And it is all done with button whole applique with a machine. Unbelievable!!

William Morris (1834-1896) was an English architect, furniture and textile designer who was also an artist and a writer. I was aware of his poetry long before I saw any of his art or textile designs. His art translates beautifully across a range of handcrafts and his designs are a joy to work.

Michele Hill has interpreted and translated some William Morris designs into six simply stunning projects and over forty individual designs. The projects include bed quilts, wall hangings and cushions. The gorgeous colour photographs showcase the pieces and tempt the reader. Each design has detailed instructions, and there are also general instructions for those new to appliqué or quilting. Full size traceable templates are included, together with clear photographs showing the embroidery and finishing techniques used.
I've not yet decided which project I want to undertake first: I'll probably settle for a small wall hanging incorporating the Tudor Rose design.

At the end of the book, Ms Hill includes a bibliography and a list of William Morris collections, places to visit and some websites.

If you are interested in appliqué, this is a book to treasure.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

excellent book- good instructions with lots of photos. I think that you should have some experience with the applique technique. However, the author uses a fusible web technique that is easy if you follow the directions closely. I am a big fan of William Morris and his many designs from the Arts and Crafts Movement, so I would like to make every project in this book! However, the time required for the detailed applique on the larger projects may reduce my ambitions!

This book gave me so many ideas I don't know where to start. I've loved William Morris' textile and wallpaper designs for as long as I can remember, and started collecting Morris patterned quilting fabric years ago. But this is the first time I ever thought to create a quilt from some of his designs. In fact, seeing this book made me think I might even be able to venture out on my own and adapt some of my favorite Morris designs myself! This book made my day!

I am so pleased with my book. I keep going back to it; it will be a great reference for years to come. It has plenty of beautiful photographs and is well written. The brief history about William Morris makes it all the more readable and enjoyable. It was great to receive my book before I do a William Morris workshop with Michele Hill in a couple of month's time. I can't wait. A most delightful and useful book. I am thrilled with it.

A beautiful presentation. Photography characterizes the work of the author as she translates the designs of William Morris into extraordinary applique work. Since reviewer is an admirer of his work the choice to purchase this book provided much pleasure.
Historically this is an excellent book for every quilt library.

William Morris would have been proud to see the beauty of this book! Great reference book and extremely well done instructions for the appliques. SRW