GP & J Baker | Tilney

Tilney is a three-fibre plain with a clean, close face and no repeat at all. The viscose and linen do the looking, the polyester does the wearing, and between them you get a cloth that holds colour evenly and resists the slight rumpling that pure linen brings. It is a touch firmer than the other plains here, which makes it good on anything with a tailored edge: a box cushion, a fitted valance, a pelmet.

It is 48 per cent viscose, 28 per cent linen and 24 per cent polyester, woven 137 centimetres wide and tested to 32,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, comfortably into domestic upholstery and rated by the supplier for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Parchment is the colourway here, a warm off-white that leans towards oatmeal in daylight and stays warm under a lamp rather than going yellow.

We would use Tilney where a pale plain has to work hard: a sofa in a family room, a set of dining chairs, curtains that run floor to ceiling in a room with a lot of glass. It is a good match for oak, limestone, brown leather and any wallpaper that needs a calm neighbour. In a bedroom it makes a crisp headboard with a linen bedcover. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

No repeat means no waste on matching, so order on length and allow for good deep hems. For upholstery, the polyester content helps it hold a tailored line, and it takes a self-piping cleanly if the strips are cut on the cross. Pale cloth on a sofa is worth having treated for stain resistance before it goes into a busy room, and it should be dry cleaned rather than washed.

• Composition: 48% viscose, 28% linen, 24% polyester
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 32,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Parchment)