Dorothy Whipple is one of the best writers on Spring. In all her books and short stories, she revels in fresh air and small flowers: snowdrops, celandines, violets, catkins and more. We are led like characters such as Jane in High Wages who enjoys striding out over the hills, and Ellen who gardens in Someone at a Distance. There is a very telling moment in They Knew Mr Knight when Freda stops to admire crocuses before going into the Knights' house - and a different direction to her life. This is a c1932 fabric by Arthur Sanderson & Sons Co, which is in V&A