GP & J Baker | Stratton

Stratton is a light, softly woven plain with a fine face and no repeat, made to hang rather than to be sat on. The viscose and cotton give it a gentle fall and a surface that holds light without shining, and the polyester in the blend keeps it stable on a long drop. In a pale colourway it does the job a good plain should do at a window, which is to soften the light without blocking it.

It is 35 per cent viscose, 32 per cent cotton, 23 per cent polyester and 10 per cent linen, woven 139 centimetres wide with no repeat. The published abrasion figure is 3,300 rubs, which is well below an upholstery rating, so although the supplier lists upholstery among the uses we treat this as a curtain and soft furnishing cloth and would ask the mill to confirm before anyone puts it on a chair. Ivory is the colourway, a clean warm white.

We would use Stratton for full-length curtains in a bedroom, for a dress curtain either side of a shutter, for a bed valance, or for cushion backs and loose covers on a headboard. It is a good companion to a patterned cloth at the same window and sits well with pale oak, cream plaster and linen bedding. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Order on length, since there is nothing to match, and allow deep hems and generous turnings; a pale, light cloth shows a mean finish. Interline curtains to give them weight and to protect the ivory from sun bleaching along the leading edge, and let them hang for a fortnight before the hems are levelled. Use a fine needle and a matching thread so the seams do not pucker.

• Composition: 35% viscose, 32% cotton, 23% polyester, 10% linen
• Width: 139 cm (55 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 3,300 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Ivory)