GP & J Baker | Victoria Plaid

Victoria Plaid is a woven wool plaid from the Royal Gardens group, named for the queen rather than for any specific archive document, and woven entirely in wool for real weight and warmth. At 18 by 16.5 centimetres the plaid is a moderate scale, formal enough for a drawing room but not so large that it overwhelms a chair.

The composition is 50 per cent wool and 50 per cent merino wool, giving it a soft, warm hand with real substance. It is 149 centimetres wide, the widest cloth in this group, with an 18 centimetre vertical and 16.5 centimetre horizontal repeat, and GP & J Baker specify it for curtains and upholstery. Two colourways, Quartz and Soft Jade; Quartz is the cooler, more formal blue, Soft Jade a gentler green.

We use it for curtains in a study or a bedroom that wants some warmth and formality, and it upholsters a wing chair or a window seat well, where the wool's weight helps the piece keep its shape. Pair it with a plain wool or a small stitched check, and keep the rest of the room's pattern restrained so the plaid can carry the scheme on its own. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Keep the plaid square when cutting: work on the straight grain and match the check across widths and at every seam, since a plaid shows drift more readily than almost any other pattern. Line curtains, and for upholstery centre the plaid on the main panels of a chair; wool of this weight tailors well but is not suited to the extra fullness of a full bedcover, so keep it to curtains, chairs and cushions.

• Composition: 50% wool, 50% merino wool
• Width: 149 cm (59 in)
• Pattern repeat: 18 cm vertical, 16.5 cm horizontal
• Suitable for: Upholstery, Curtains
• Care: Dry clean professionally; do not wash, bleach or iron.
• Collection: Historic Royal Palaces, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 2 (Quartz, Soft Jade)