Stanton Linen is the second plain in GP & J Baker's Tetbury Linens book, and it does the same job as its companion with a different colour card. Pure linen, woven at the same 140 centimetre width, with the quiet irregularity you only get from a natural fibre: no two square inches are quite identical, which is what keeps a plain linen from looking flat on a large curtain. It has enough body to hold a pleat and enough softness to fall properly from a pole.
Composition is 100 per cent linen, 140 centimetres wide, with no repeat. Abrasion resistance is 35,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, so it will take general domestic upholstery as well as curtains and bedspreads. There are 21 colourways: Chalk, Ivory, Linen, Hemp, Parchment, Coral, Plaster, Sky, Soft Blue, Teal, Denim, Aqua, Soft Green, Leaf, Peacock, Ochre, Bronze, Dove, Silver, Woodsmoke and Graphite. The range leans cooler than Tetbury, with a strong run of blues and blue-greens through Sky, Soft Blue, Denim, Aqua, Teal and Peacock, and a good set of greys at the other end.
We use it for full-length curtains, for Roman blinds in a kitchen, for loose covers on a sofa that has to survive a family, and for cushions cut from the deeper shades. It is also the obvious plain to run alongside the Royal Court prints if you want the room calmer. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
Allow extra length for shrinkage and drop: make curtains long, hang them for a fortnight and hem last. Line anything in a bright room, because linen in a strong colour will fade along a leading edge. On upholstery, ask for it to be backed, and press from the reverse with a cloth rather than directly on the face.
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Composition: 100% linen
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Width: 140 cm (55 in)
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Abrasion resistance: 35,000 rubs (Martindale)
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Care: Dry clean professionally; do not wash, bleach or iron
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Collection: Tetbury Linens, GP & J Baker
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Colourways: 21 (including Chalk, Ivory, Linen, Hemp, Parchment, Coral, Plaster, Sky, Soft Blue, Teal, Denim, Aqua, Leaf, Peacock, Ochre, Bronze, Silver, Graphite)
