GP & J Baker | Floral Trail Linen

Floral Trail Linen is the Floral Trail design worked onto a plainer, linen-rich ground: a winding botanical trail stitched in a single colour, with the flowers and leaves picked out in raised thread. Against the natural linen the trail looks almost drawn, and the 39 centimetre repeat keeps it light and continuous rather than blocky. It is the quieter cousin of the two-colour version and the one we use when a room wants calm.

The composition is 68 per cent linen and 32 per cent viscose, the viscose being the embroidery thread. It is 132 centimetres wide with a 39 centimetre vertical and 66 centimetre horizontal repeat, and it is specified for curtains and bedspreads. One colourway, Aqua, a soft blue-green that reads as duck egg in shade and brighter in sun. It sits comfortably with white, chalky greys and pale oak.

We would hang it as curtains in a bedroom or bathroom, or use it for a roman blind above a bath where a heavier pattern would feel crowded. It is a good bedspread fabric, and a pair of cushions on a white sofa carries the colour into a sitting room. Pair it with a plain linen in Aqua or a small check. In a nursery it is one of the few embroideries quiet enough to use on every surface. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Line and interline for curtains; the trail is a continuous vine, so ask your maker to match across the width so it runs unbroken from one width to the next. Allow one repeat per drop. Press from the back over a towel so the stitching keeps its relief. It is not suitable for upholstery.

• Composition: 68% linen, 32% viscose
• Width: 132 cm (52 in)
• Pattern repeat: 39 cm vertical, 66 cm horizontal
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Winslow, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Aqua)