GP & J Baker | Spin Off

Spin Off is an embroidered cloth from Kit Kemp's work with GP & J Baker: a drawn spiral figure worked in thread onto a linen-rich ground, so the pattern stands slightly proud of the surface and catches the light along its edges. The hand is firm and a little crisp, with enough weight to hang in proper folds without the stitching pulling. Linen makes up the greater part of the ground and the polyester is there to stabilise it under the needle, which is why an embroidery of this density does not pucker.

Composition is 71 per cent linen and 29 per cent polyester, 132 centimetres wide, with an 80 centimetre vertical and 66 centimetre horizontal repeat. GP & J Baker list it for curtains and bedspreads rather than upholstery, which is right for an embroidery of this weight. Two colourways: Plaster, which keeps everything tonal, and Red/Green, which puts two clear colours against the natural ground.

We would use it for full-length curtains in a bedroom, for a bedspread or a deep valance, and for large square cushions where the embroidery can be seen whole. It is not a cloth for a chair that gets sat on daily. Pair it with a plain linen and a woven stripe. In Plaster it will even work as a headboard. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Embroidered cloths need a light hand in the workroom. Ask for a soft cotton lining and interlining if you want the folds to stay generous, and tell your maker not to press directly onto the stitching, using steam from the reverse only. The 66 centimetre horizontal repeat gives two repeats across the 132 centimetre width, so plan the seams to fall between motifs rather than through them.

• Composition: 29% Polyester 71% Linen
• Width: 132 cm (52 in)
• Pattern repeat: 80 cm vertical, 66 cm horizontal
• Care: Dry clean professionally only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Kit Kemp Prints & Embroideries, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 2 (Plaster, Red/Green)