The renowned designer’s lasting creative influences are celebrated by Portia Dadley, while John P Butler shares a touching memory of his late wife’s love of a Morris patternRe your editorial (The Guardian view on William Morris: how the Strawberry Thief took over the world, 11 April), William Morris developed the Strawberry Thief pattern at his Merton Abbey Works on the banks of the River Wandle.The workers who turned the design into a “swinish luxury” formed a close-knit community – the carpet knotter Eliza Merritt remembered “a tradition of comradeship”– whose members lived long, creative lives. The tapestry weaver William Sleath was rescued from destitution by Morris, who took him on as an apprentice at age seven. Continue reading...