DEDAR | Pin003 Soutache

Pin003 is a soutache, a flat narrow braid 7 millimetres across with a central channel that takes the stitching so nothing shows on the face. Woven in pure rayon, it has a soft even lustre and enough flexibility to be worked round a tight curve without rippling. Used well it is the least assertive way to put a line on a piece of furniture: a drawn contour rather than an applied ornament.

Composition is 100 per cent rayon, 0.7 centimetres wide. Made in Italy. One colourway, 001 Marzapane-liquirizia, cream and near-black worked together along the braid. At this width the two tones blend optically into a soft mid-tone at any distance, and only reveal themselves as two colours when you are close enough to touch the piece, which is exactly the right behaviour for an outline.

We use it to trace shapes: the outline of a cushion a couple of centimetres in from the seam, the shaped front of a headboard, the curve of a chair back, or a simple border on a linen bedcover. It needs a plain, smooth ground to read against, so velvet, wool and close-woven linen rather than anything already textured or printed. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it against your cloth.

It is couched by hand through the central groove, so the quantity follows the drawn line rather than the seam. Have the design chalked out on the made-up piece first, measure along it with a tape laid on edge, and allow 20 per cent over: curves, corners and the ends tucked under and finished take more than a straight measure ever suggests. Dedar trims are cut to order and cannot be returned.

• Composition: 100% rayon
• Cord diameter: 0.7 cm (7 mm)
• Care: Brush gently; do not wash
• Origin: Made in Italy
• Collection: Dedar
• Colourways: 1 (001 Marzapane-liquirizia)