Kit's Linen is the plain ground that holds Kit Kemp's collections for GP & J Baker together, a cotton, linen and rayon weave with no pattern at all, made to sit underneath the prints and embroideries. The surface has a fine slub and a dry, matt finish, and the rayon in the blend gives it more drape than a straight linen would. It creases the way natural cloth should. The cotton in the blend gives it body, the linen gives it the surface and the rayon does the falling, which is a more reliable combination than linen on its own.
Composition is 45 per cent cotton, 40 per cent linen and 15 per cent rayon, 137 centimetres wide, with no repeat to match. Abrasion is tested at 30,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, which covers general domestic upholstery. There are 26 colourways, running from Ivory, Cream, Sand and String through Parchment and Plaster to Spice, Crimson, Denim, Indigo, Teal, Green and Sunshine, a full palette built to match the prints rather than approximate them.
We use it everywhere: curtains and blinds, loose covers, headboards, the plain half of a pair of cushions, the piping on a patterned chair. With 26 colourways the useful trick is to pull the quietest tone out of a Kit Kemp print and use this for everything else in the room. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
Because there is no repeat, cutting is efficient and joins can fall anywhere, but plain cloths show every seam, so ask for full widths wherever the piece allows. Linen-rich blends relax after making up, so hang curtains for a week before levelling the hems. On upholstery, a cotton interlayer keeps the weave from marking over foam edges.
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Composition: 45% Cotton 40% Linen 15% Rayon
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Width: 137 cm (53.9 in)
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Abrasion resistance: 30,000 rubs (Martindale)
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Care: Dry clean professionally only; do not wash, bleach or iron
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Collection: Kit Kemp Kit's Linen, GP & J Baker
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Colourways: 26 (Ivory, Cream, Sand, String, Desert, Parchment, Chocolate, Spice, Earth, Clementine, Plaster, Elvis Pink, Soft Red, Crimson, Sky Blue, Ocean, Teal, Turquoise, Denim, Blue, Indigo, Aqua, Green, Grass, Spring Green, Sunshine)
