I am way overdue with nattering about Mr Morris and fortunately today I came across some interesting sites to push me back into that focus! Last year we were unable to visit Emery Walker's House in Hammersmith London on the Whitecroft tour as it was closed as a part of a major restoration project. So today it was very exciting to read an article and see a related video relating to it. Allyson McDermott is a part of the wallpaper restoration team and the film on her link is well worth a watch.....
Another interesting website that I visit frequently, the Fashion and Textile Museum in London has a current exhibition of the work of Josef Frank, (1885-1967) an Austrian architect who lived half of his life in Sweden. His textile designs in particular appeal to me immensely......
Like William Morris there is evidence of a mutual love of natural pattern and medieval design and how I could live with this.......
even his furniture has a distinct Arts & Crafts style........
Whenever I see textile designs like Josef Frank's it brings me back to how I've been personally influenced by William Morris. My very naive drawings and subsequent quilt interpretations always reflect some part of his textile like my Peacock and Dragon inspired quilt from 2004.......
I am sure I will one day create some more Morris inspired quilts but for now smaller pieces are satisfying my need to create. So I've made yet another rope bowl but this time for Emily who will be turning 35 on Monday. She asked for earth tones and it is nice to be challenged with an unthought of palette and I like it so much I might make one for our dining table centre......
I have some new fabrics and even variegated thread waiting to be turned into more bowls as well.....
And I've even made more jolly rabbits but this is the very last of them now! My re-gifted soft toy books did not really help me so I resorted to adjusting my original 4 inch pattern only I'd run out of the right colour felt. The ears challenged me as did the entire body! Even staring for hours at Beatrix Potter's drawings of Peter didn't give me the result I was yearning........but I know Maisie will enjoy playing with them and those books will be used for other creatures apart from rabbits!....
The bed runner is now complete and you can see the pieces that can be removed and re-applied for little hands to play with. And it folds up to a be a bag as well......
I always loved that image of Peter hiding in the watering can!.......
We are in for some very hot days having recorded 42.4C (108.3F) today but some parts of our state recorded 46.3C! (115.3F). Worst news was 40,000 homes without power! So with that comes images of the poor roses that suffered. I rescued some blooms and plunged them into a bucket of cold water and we are now enjoying them inside.......
Even some of the rose leaves were frizzled.......
The new growth on the William Morris rose was limp in the late afternoon shade with burnt blooms on the bush.........
But it is Summer after all and we are grateful for all we have. So till next time take care x
did you put the whole rose in the bucket of cold water not just the stem? sometimes my roses get bad from the heat too but I just put the stem in the cold water - a cold water bath might work better? I love the bed runner - so much detail on that it is amazing you did a really good job on it I bet little Maisie will love it.
Love that bed runner - Maisie is going to have so much fun with it. Those last photos of your roses is what mine look like in our summers which do get as high as 115. I have to pick the flowers in the early morning if I want to see them open and perfuming the air, or they look as burnt as your William Morris rose.
I save your posts, Michele, till I have a block of time to read and thoroughly enjoy. You pack a lot into each one and I, for one, appreciate it. Josef Frank...new to me I think but just love his designs...interesting how they differ from Morris but yet the similarity is there somehow and so appealing. That bed runner is adorable. Beautiful Roses in such heat. I smile as we are experiencing the worst of winter still with all covered under an ever mounting blanket of snow. Lovely little grandson starting his school career. We have Junior Kindergarten here so my littler grandson will be going in September (turning 4 in November). Time is moving swiftly onward.
Thankyou for dropping by and sharing in my journey. And thanks especially for your lovely comments….I may not always respond (especially if there is no email address) but please know you are appreciated x
did you put the whole rose in the bucket of cold water not just the stem? sometimes my roses get bad from the heat too but I just put the stem in the cold water - a cold water bath might work better? I love the bed runner - so much detail on that it is amazing you did a really good job on it I bet little Maisie will love it.
ReplyDeleteLove that bed runner - Maisie is going to have so much fun with it. Those last photos of your roses is what mine look like in our summers which do get as high as 115. I have to pick the flowers in the early morning if I want to see them open and perfuming the air, or they look as burnt as your William Morris rose.
ReplyDeleteI save your posts, Michele, till I have a block of time to read and thoroughly enjoy. You pack a lot into each one and I, for one, appreciate it. Josef Frank...new to me I think but just love his designs...interesting how they differ from Morris but yet the similarity is there somehow and so appealing.
ReplyDeleteThat bed runner is adorable.
Beautiful Roses in such heat. I smile as we are experiencing the worst of winter still with all covered under an ever mounting blanket of snow.
Lovely little grandson starting his school career. We have Junior Kindergarten here so my littler grandson will be going in September (turning 4 in November). Time is moving swiftly onward.