Mark Alexander | Pennant

Pennant is a linen cloth with a repeating pennant motif worked across it, drawn loosely enough that the shapes read as hand-made rather than ruled. The ground has the dry, faintly irregular surface of a good linen, and the design sits into that surface rather than on top of it, so the pattern holds its place without becoming the loudest thing in a room. At a distance it settles into a soft all-over rhythm; close to, you can follow each shape.

The composition is 98% LI linen with 2% PL polyester, woven to a 138 centimetre width. The repeat is 40.5 centimetres vertically and 69 centimetres horizontally, exactly half the cloth width, so the design falls twice across the piece. It comes in a single colourway, Ocean Mist, a soft grey-blue on a paler linen ground, which is about as much colour as this collection asks for. With one shade to consider, the decision is really about scale and where the repeat lands.

We use Pennant at the window, where the linen drops well and the repeat has room to read across a full-width pair. It also makes a good Roman blind in a kitchen or a bathroom, because a single flat panel shows the design without cutting through it. On upholstery we would keep it to a small piece, a slipper chair, a stool, or a pair of cushions. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Plan the 40.5 centimetre vertical repeat into your quantities and allow one extra repeat per drop, plus a little more if the pattern needs to sit at a particular height off the floor. The 69 centimetre horizontal repeat means a half-width join lands mid-motif, so place seams where a curtain folds back rather than in the centre. Interline to stop light showing through the ground, and let the linen hang before final hemming.

• Composition: 98% LI linen, 2% PL polyester
• Width: 138 cm
• Pattern repeat: 40.5 cm vertical, 69 cm horizontal
• Suitable for: Curtains, Roman blinds, light upholstery
• Care: Dry clean recommended
• Collection: Handcrafted Modern I, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 1 (Ocean Mist)