Brer rabbit

I have so many favourite William Morris designs. Brer Rabbit is just one of them.......I have used this image as the centre of a recent quilt and also as a cushion panel. Morris produced this as a discharge cotton around 1882. It is sometimes know as Brother Rabbit and as I was doing my research I discovered I can purchase it today as a wallpaper or for drapes. I am afraid I will need a lotto win for that dream but for now I just drool at these sites.......have a look at this exquisite collection at a shop in Victoria, Canada; http://www.historicstyle.com/
Just divine!!

And another site; http://www.william-morris.co.uk/

The pattern above is called Mary Isobel and it has a striking similarity to a screen embroidered here in my home town Adelaide in the 1890's. The Art Gallery of South Australia has this in their collection and their publication "Morris & Co. - Designs and Patterns"states that this was designed by J.H.Dearle and embroidered by Mary Isobel Barr Smith who resided here in South Australia. My book also states that William Morris advocated that his favourite embroidery stitches were darning, running, long and short, satin and stem stitches. I have just completed a wallhanging inspired by this design which in the gallery is just simply called 'Portiere'.