Mark Alexander | Frisage

Frisage is a flat woven braid with a close, slightly raised face — the surface has a fine ribbed movement that catches a shadow rather than the light. Linen and wool together give it a dry hand and enough body to sit flat on a made-up edge without curling. It is a trimming that reads as part of the cloth rather than as applied decoration, which is exactly what we want on quiet work.

The composition is 50 per cent linen, 41 per cent wool and 9 per cent polyester, supplied by the half metre. Three colourways: Cement, Jasper White and Natural. Each is a near-neutral, and the differences between them are small in isolation and obvious against a cloth, so hold all three against your fabric before deciding. The small polyester content is there for stability in making up, not for sheen.

We use Frisage as a border on a Roman blind, set in a little from the edge, and along the leading edges of curtains where it gives a defined line without a colour change. It also works as banding on a bed valance or the skirt of a chair. Pair it with a plain linen or a fine grasscloth wall. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Being a flat braid it can be hand-stitched or glued, and we would hand-stitch anything that will be handled or cleaned: a slip stitch along both edges keeps it from lifting. Mitre it at a corner rather than easing it, as a flat braid will not turn cleanly, and press the mitre before stitching. Measure the full run including returns and add a little for the mitres, which consume more than people expect.

• Composition: 50% LI 41% WO 9% PL
• Sold by: Half metre
• Suitable for: Blind borders, curtain leading edges, valances, chair skirts
• Care: Dry clean recommended
• Collection: Accent II, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 3 (Cement, Jasper White, Natural)