Meg Morton
We are a family-run, country inspired fabric, wallpaper and homeware brand based in the
beautiful North Dorset countryside. Our hand painted, printed and creative photography designs start their journey in our pretty studio which is nestled next to fields, woodland and the river Stour which constantly provides plenty of inspiration right on the doorstep!
Our company is named after my mother, Meg Morton, an inspirational homemaker and teacher whose family were Scottish fabric designers, innovators and manufacturers dating back to Alexander and Robert Morton in 1867. We constantly strive to explore and follow in our ancestors footsteps to create timeless designs that fit easily with traditional and contemporary decor.
I am very lucky to be able to work with my lovely daughter Vicky who, as well as sharing the family passion for fabric, pattern and interiors, is also a photographer with a keen eye for detail and design.
Vicky and I are delighted to be able to include fellow Dorset designer Jacqueline Milton’s beautiful fabric designs to our Meg Morton collections following Jacqueline’s decision to step back after many years in the design industry.
Our shared passion for pretty country florals and our stunning Dorset countryside and coast has led to the combined fabrics working in perfect harmony together to provide a relaxed country feel for your home and hopefully give you even more inspiration for your schemes. All of our combined fabrics are printed by our expert print works in Lancashire on to the same beautifully soft linen cotton mixes.
Notes from the Designer – By Jacqueline Milton
‘I describe myself as a quintessentially English interior fabric designer with a love of all things floral. Working from my Dorset studio I love to use traditional skills to create patterns for fabrics.
From an early age, I’ve enjoyed drawing. At college I wanted to be a cartographer or an illustrator, but I was lucky enough to become a designer for Axminster Carpets, Devon. I can only describe my early days there as the equivalent of an apprenticeship.
Learning the basics was the best thing that ever happened. I loved it, and it gave me a good understanding of pattern, pattern repeat and the restraints of design in relation to manufacturing. With 30 years’ experience in the interiors industry working as a designer, it seemed a natural progression to produce my own collection and the digital era has made that happen.
My design process starts with lots of sketches and once an idea starts to germinate, I will draw it into a repeat pattern. This is a precise process because the pattern must match top to bottom, and also side to side; so that when it’s printed it will produce a continuous roll of fabric.
Once I’m happy with the placement, I will mix the paints for the final piece of work; this is the fun bit! I use a variety of mediums – water-based paints, inks and pencil are my favourites. The finished painting will be converted to a digital file in my studio.
In all, the design process takes about 3 weeks, but that is just the beginning. It takes time to decide on the final colours and to ensure that the new patterns link to the existing fabrics. Each new fabric must work on its own and also with the other fabrics – like one big family.
I will spend several months testing different colours on linen. The process of launching a new collection from start to finish will take 6 months to a year. There’re always a few challenges along the way, but it’s exciting seeing the finished fabrics emerge all that time after the initial sketches!
My work is hugely influenced by my surroundings. I know that sounds cliché but it’s true for a lot of creative people. Miles of hedgerows bursting with life, orchards, crops and rolling hills. I’m constantly inspired by the effortless combinations in nature and there’s plenty to explore right on the doorstep.
I love what I do and I hope you enjoy looking at my work and feel inspired’.