Mark Alexander | Loom

Loom is a plain linen cloth with a small amount of polyamide worked into the weave, which gives it a stability that pure linen does not have. It holds a tailored shape and recovers from a crease rather than keeping it. The surface has a visible weave and a slight slub, so it reads as a woven texture rather than a flat plain, and the hand is dry and cool. This is the plain we specify when a scheme needs linen but the piece itself needs to behave.

The composition is 90 per cent linen with 10 per cent polyamide, at a 138 centimetre width, with no pattern repeat, rated at 30,000 Martindale rubs, general domestic. That covers curtains, blinds and everyday upholstery. Seven colourways are made: Jasper White and Natural at the undyed end, Plaster and Silvershell in the pale neutrals, and Tempest, Atlantic and Indigo taking it through grey-blue to a deep blue. All seven sit comfortably alongside each other in one room.

We use Loom for loose covers and fitted upholstery on sofas and armchairs, where the polyamide keeps the seams crisp, and for curtains where a pure linen would sag over a long drop. It makes a good headboard cloth as well. Natural on a frame with Indigo on the cushions is a combination that works in most schemes. Order a sample to see it in your own light, as the blues in particular shift between daylight and lamplight.

With no repeat to match, joins are simple, so run selvedge to selvedge and the seam disappears into the weave. For seat cushions we railroad across the 138 centimetre width where the piece allows, which avoids a centre seam on a long bench. The polyamide means less relaxing than pure linen, so upholstery can be pulled firm and will hold its line. Curtains still want a few days hanging before the hem is finalised, and a cotton interlining will give the fall more weight.

• Composition: 90% LI 10% PA
• Width: 138 cm
• Martindale: 30,000 rubs, general domestic
• Suitable for: Upholstery, loose covers, curtains, headboards
• Care: Dry clean recommended
• Collection: Loom, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 7 (Atlantic, Indigo, Tempest, Silvershell, Plaster, Natural, Jasper White)