Rosa is a rose embroidery on a linen ground, worked at a generous scale with a 77 centimetre vertical repeat. The blooms and their foliage are stitched in a single soft tone against the natural cloth, so the effect is tonal rather than busy, and the raised thread gives the flowers a quiet relief that shifts as the light moves across it. Hung at a window it reads as a garden drawn in thread.
The composition is 77 per cent linen, 20 per cent viscose and 3 per cent polyester, the viscose being the embroidery thread that gives the stitch its sheen. Width is 130 centimetres, with a 77 centimetre vertical and 65 centimetre horizontal repeat, and it is specified for curtains and bedspreads. Three colourways: Soft Blue, Blush and Sage. Blush is the gentlest of the three and suits a bedroom; Sage is the easiest to pair with other greens and with painted timber.
We would use it for curtains in a bedroom or a small sitting room, hung simply from a pole so the flowers are not lost in a heavy heading. It makes a handsome bedspread, and we sometimes use a single width as a panel on a headboard. Pair it with a plain linen in the same tone for blinds and a small stripe on a chair. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
With a 77 centimetre repeat you should allow one full repeat per drop when calculating quantities, and plan the pattern so a complete rose sits at the leading edge. Line and interline curtains; the interlining supports the stitch and stops the roses printing through in strong sun. It is not intended for upholstery.
