More William Morris Applique: Spectacular Quilts & Accessories for the Home Paperback – March 16, 2012

I bought the original William Morris in Applique a while ago, started on a sampler project, and it stalled. Nonetheless, the moment I saw that the follow-up book was available, I pre-ordered it. Even if I never DO get around to making these projects, I like to sit on the couch and pretend I will... quilter's porn, perhaps. Because this book (and its predecessor) are so incredibly beautiful that they inspire me.If you are a fan of the Arts & Crafts movement, you probably know who William Morris is: one of the dudes who inspired it all in the late 1800s. As the author writes, "His express aim was to restore traditional crafts and methods to a society that was being denigrated by mechanical industry, destroying '...man's natural purpose and sense of life.'" The Arts & Crafts movement was (and is) characterized by natural elements, hand crafting, and design elements inspired by nature. Everything in one's life should be beautiful or functional, preferably both. Morris designed furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, and other "decorative elements." His wife did a lot of embroidery, too -- needlework that will take your breath away.What Michele Hill did in these books is translate Morris designs into something you can put on a quilt. Since these are all nature-inspired (birds, flowers, etc.) that means applique -- and OH BOY is this impressive applique. No cutesy Little-Bo-Peep here: The 10 projects (with 55 applique designs, all of which are provided on full-size pattern sheets) are elaborate grown-up designs. If you like the idea of Baltimore Album quilts though its traditional flower-pictures aren't quite your style (and the scale of those projects doesn't scare you), you may very well like these.Hill provides a solid history of Morris and the early Arts & Crafts movement, especially from an artistic viewpoint, as well as a lot of photos of tapestries, wallpaper, and embroidered hangings; you get a good sense of the originals. Then she riffs off them for inspiration with quilts of varying sizes. There are a few small projects (a pillow, a book cover, a bell pull), as well as larger ones (a good-sized wall hanging, a tablecloth, a baby quilt, a few full-size bed quilts). Many are embellished with embroidery, and some have beadwork. This is not the "30-minute meals" of quilt projects.Hill's instructions cover everything from fabric selection (though I wish she was more specific about how much would be needed for some of the intricate applique -- perhaps that's impossible) to cutting layouts to the order of work. She's very specific: "Work machine triple stitch around all edges of the rabbits using dark brown machine embroidery thread on top to enhance the shapes." She also includes how to quilt the quilt (something that most authors leave out, grrr) though in many cases there's so much applique that stitches around the applique pieces is all the project needs.Twenty pages are devoted to the "how to" of quilting, from applique basics to machine quilting. Nonetheless I am a dork when it come to applique. I like hand-quilting (because it can be done in front of the TV while watching baseball games) but it goes slowly, especially when I cuss at the poor quality of my workmanship. It'd take forever to do one of these quilts by hand, so I'm going to HAVE to get comfortable with fusible applique before I tackle one of these projects.Since I do have both books, perhaps you're wondering which to choose. Hmm. Each stands alone, so this isn't like a mystery novel in which you really have to have "done" the first before trundling on to the second. The first collection is similar in structure (historical/photo essay, 20 pages of general instruction) but is a little more closely tied to famous Morris imagery such as Bird or the coverlet that Morris' wife Jane embroidered for a bed at Kelmscott Manor. But both are inspirational and gorgeous; if you like one you are certain to like the other.

Excellent condition.

I'm a quilter and have been dazzled by the various Morris collections that have come out in the last few years. I've been looking for patterns to showcase both the fabulous fabrics and the works themselves. I've gotten five or six books in hopes of finding something I could work with (even another Michele Hill book which I also recommend) but for what I want this book has been the best. The pattern sheets are excellent and I think the instructions are very good. Having said that I am an experienced quilter, though not a great one by any means, and experienced in applique. I think, simply because of the nature of William Morris patterns it would not be a book I would use to start out on though there are some fairly simple projects. If you are a Morris fan and like to do needlework, this is a great book.

This is the second book written by Michelle Hill, with patterns and directions for creating quilts based on William Morris' designs. There are 10 projects and 55 applique designs included. All of the projects are original and unique. I recommend this book. Please mark if you find my review helpful. Thank you so much!

I grew up in UK where William Morris textiles and wallpaper were to be found in almost every Victorian style home. Even as a child my eyes were constantly moving over his designs to discover more and more that hadn't been seen before! His love of nature and depiction of what he saw around him is extraordinary and now has captured the modern world, especially in quilting.My collection of William Morris style fabric has grown by leaps and bounds because of the renewal and discovery of this wonderful art form. The patterns in the book will lead to more exploration.

This book contains gorgeous applique quilts (cut out patterns are included in the back of the book) and good directions but is probably not for beginners because of their complexity. I may make one of the larger pieces when I retire (if the eyes hold out!), but for now am using one or two small patterns to use as wall hangings, and for practice.

The is such a lovely book - beautifully printed, lavishly laid out. The projects framed so artfully and the patterns drawn so well that it is the sort of book I will keep close just for the joy of looking at it. Some day I will get around to making one or more of them but for the moment I will be content just to fantasize.

I love this book. I have created the tablecloth using the starch and press method. I know that it took 5 weeks to prepare it for stitching, but it was worth every minute. You can see pictures on the OVQG.com show and tell for January 2012, last 5 pictures. I recommend buying this book. It's great. I'm doing the block quilt next with the bunnies in the center.

This was a present for my mum, who is a seasoned quilter. She knows her stuff and was really impressed with the quality of the photography and the decent prose. She felt like she was being talked to as an expert but was also given lots of advice and learned things she didn't know. She felt inspired by the quilts which are complicated but doable. An excellent book.

For myself, a must have book, beautiful addition to my quilting library collection, could not wait for this delivery! Initially found a copy in my local library. Had to buy my own copy. after research on line, found my copy from a very reputable source. Although out of print, the price was excellent.

love this book, very helpful

excellent will get the other book

Great projects and fascinating information