GP & J Baker | Alderwood

Alderwood is a Keswick Embroideries design worked in linen and rayon thread on a linen ground, with a 40 by 66 centimetre repeat that gives it a settled, mid-large scale. Of the six new Keswick designs it is the one with the widest colour range, which makes it useful across more than one room in a scheme, and the rayon thread gives the stitching a little more sheen than the viscose-threaded designs elsewhere in the collection.

Composition is 65 per cent linen and 35 per cent rayon. It is 132 centimetres wide, with a 40 centimetre vertical and 66 centimetre horizontal repeat, and GP & J Baker specify it for curtains. Three colourways: Ivory/Stone, a tonal neutral; Soft Blue, gentle and cool; and Blush, a warm pale pink. Ivory/Stone is the quietest of the three and the easiest to place anywhere.

We use Alderwood for curtains across a bedroom or sitting room, choosing Ivory/Stone where the room wants texture without colour and Blush or Soft Blue where it wants a gentle accent. It also makes a good bedspread border or a set of cushions on a plain sofa, and because the three colourways sit so close together tonally, mixing two of them in one room reads as considered rather than mismatched. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Allow one repeat per drop and match across widths at the 66 centimetre horizontal interval. Line and interline curtains to support the stitch and protect it from sun; press from the reverse over a soft cloth. It is not rated for upholstery, so keep Alderwood to windows, beds and cushions rather than a chair seat, and order all your cloth from one batch for an even colour across the room.

• Composition: 65% linen, 35% rayon
• Width: 132 cm (52 in)
• Pattern repeat: 40 cm vertical, 66 cm horizontal
• Suitable for: Curtains
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron.
• Collection: Keswick Embroideries, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 3 (Ivory/Stone, Soft Blue, Blush)