GP & J Baker | Penny Stripe

Penny Stripe is a narrow woven cotton stripe, fine lines repeating closely across the cloth in the sort of ticking scale that behaves like a texture at any distance. It is flat, light and matt, with no sheen to it at all. In a room with a large print somewhere else, this is the cloth that stops everything turning into a competition for attention. It is one of those cloths we specify without thinking twice, because it never looks wrong.

One hundred per cent cotton, 132 centimetres wide, with a horizontal repeat of 16.8 centimetres and no vertical repeat. GP & J Baker list it for curtains and bedspreads rather than seating. Four colourways: Sand, Soft Red, Blue and Indigo. Sand is the neutral, Indigo is strong enough to read as a solid from across a room, and Soft Red is warmer and gentler than a true red, which makes it much easier to place.

We use it for curtains and blinds in bedrooms, for bedspreads and valances, and for cushions and small lampshades. It also lines a curtain beautifully if you want the stripe to show on the return. Pair it with a floral from the House Small Prints collection and a plain linen. It also makes a sensible roller blind. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

With no drop repeat the quantities are simple, but a fine stripe is unforgiving at the seams, so match the lines exactly or the join will show. Keep the stripe truly vertical when making up, as a small lean is obvious on a full-length curtain. For a bedspread, railroading avoids joins and turns the stripe across the bed.

• Composition: 100% Cotton
• Width: 132 cm (51.86 in)
• Pattern repeat: 16.8 cm horizontal
• Care: Dry clean only
• Collection: Symington Stripes, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 4 (Sand, Soft Red, Blue, Indigo)