Beth Russell has been producing needlepoint kits based on the designs of William Morris, William De Morgan, Henry Dearle and others from the Arts and Crafts movement of 19th century Victorian England for over 20 years now. The Designers Forum range of needlepoint kits includes needlepoint rugs, tapestry wall hangings and fire screens, needlework miniatures as well as cushions, pillows bellpulls and chairseats.
Tapestry wall hanging and firescreen We have many kits that are suitable for wall hanging or for making into a fire screen
Needlepoint chair seat A selection of tapestry kits that have enough canvas to be made into chair seat as well as into a cushion or pillow
Beth Russell left the Royal School of Needlework where she had worked for many years, and founded Designers Forum with her husband Peter. The company has grown and now employs both of her sons as well as some old friends from the Royal School. William Morris believed strongly in the quality of materials as well in good design. We have tried to continue this by using the best Zweigart needlepoint canvas in our kits and we provide Appleton wools. Appleton have a huge range of shades that allow Beth to match the subtleties of the original designs and are a company as old as William Morris himself.
Many of the designs for the needlepoint kits come from William Morris wallpaper or fabric. Some, like Woodpecker, which makes an excellent firesceen, come from Morris tapesty wall hangings or in the case of Artichoke, from an embroidery kit. The Animals range is inspired by the ceramic tiles of William De Morgan, the Greenery by the tapestry designed by henry Dearle for Morris and Co. Beth has designed a couple of bellpulls, one from the Acanthus set and one also taken from the original Woodpecker border. There are also many miniature kits that are taken from larger designs such as Strawberry Thief. The Peacock also makes an excellent fire screen or needlepoit pillow and is part of the Forest range based on the original Morris tapestry wall hanging.
"He was our best man. We cannot spare him; we cannot replace him. In all England there lives no braver, kinder, honester, cleverer, heartier man than William Morris. He is dead, and we cannot help feeling for a while that nothing else matters." The Clarion Oct. 1896
Morris' decorating style was revolutionary because it was natural, one could almost say organic, in an age that was just embracing mass-production and lower standards of quality and design. An ardent socialist, he believed in art for the people. He was a perfectionist when it came to colour and he researched various dyeing techniques including the discharge method. His hands were often dyed blue for weeks after working in the vats. He taught himself embroidery by unpicking canvas and actually sold embroidery kits.
Beth Russell has worked hard with needlepoint kits to be as faithful as possible to the original William Morris designs. Luckily for us all, the wealth of material that he produced: wallpaper, tapestry, fabric, typefaces, poetry, embroidery and books gives us a nearly endless supply of inspiration. She has adapted some of Morris' poetry and writings into needlework samplers and his other designs into needlepoint pillows, cushions, miniature kits and rugs (not to mention the odd fire-screen and wall-hanging).
Homepage: www.bethrussellneedlepoint.com
See our range of needlepoint rugs by clicking on this link.
"My work is the embodiment of dreams." William Morris
Needlepoint Rugs
