Floral Tapestry is an embroidered floral that borrows the dense, stitched look of an old needlework panel, with blooms worked close together in polyester thread on a linen and cotton ground. The stitching sits proud of the cloth and has a soft sheen, so the pattern changes with the light through the day. It is a more filled-in design than Oakhill or Elmswood and has the feel of something inherited rather than bought.
The composition is 60 per cent polyester, which is the embroidery, with a ground of 22 per cent linen and 18 per cent cotton. It is 135 centimetres wide with a 42 centimetre vertical repeat and a 45 centimetre horizontal one, and it is recommended for curtains and bedspreads. There are two colourways: Teal, a single-colour version that is quieter than the name suggests, and Red/Green, the traditional multi-coloured one that lifts a brown-furniture room. Teal is the one for a panelled study.
We use it for curtains in a sitting room or a dining room, interlined and hand-headed, and for bed hangings or a bedspread in a principal bedroom. A pair of large square cushions in it on a plain velvet sofa is a good way to get the needlework look without a full pair of curtains. Keep the other fabrics plain or striped. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
Making-up note: embroidered cloths should always be lined, and interlining is worth the cost, both for the hang and to protect the stitching from fading. Allow a full repeat per drop, ask your maker to press from the reverse over a soft cloth, and avoid using it where it will be rubbed. Dry clean only, and never iron the face.
