GP & J Baker | Talbot

Talbot is a soft, slightly brushed plain with recycled cotton in the blend, and it feels it: the face has a gentle bloom rather than a crisp finish, and the colour sits deep in the cloth. There is no repeat at all. It is the most yielding of the plains in this collection, which makes it lovely to handle and means it wants to be used where it will not be rubbed hard every day.

The blend is 45 per cent viscose, 16 per cent polyester, 12 per cent linen, 11 per cent cotton, 11 per cent recycled cotton, 4 per cent acrylic and 1 per cent polyamide, woven 137 centimetres wide. The Martindale figure is 20,000 rubs, which is light domestic use, so while the supplier lists upholstery we would keep it to curtains, cushions, bedspreads and occasional chairs. Teal is the colourway, a deep blue-green with grey behind it.

We would make curtains and a matching pillow-edged bedspread in Talbot, or use it on a bedroom chair that is sat in rather than lived on. It is a good cloth for a cushion front, where the soft surface shows to advantage. Put it with cream, brown and unpolished brass, and let a harder-wearing plain take the sofa. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Soft surfaces mark, so take the cloth off the roll carefully and avoid pressing it directly; use a cloth and a low iron if you must. There is no pattern to match, so order on length. For bedspreads, join widths with a flat seam either side of centre rather than running one down the middle, and finish with a hand-slipped hem so the weight of the cloth is not dragged by machine stitching.

• Composition: 45% viscose, 16% polyester, 12% linen, 11% cotton, 11% recycled cotton, 4% acrylic, 1% polyamide
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 20,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Teal)