Mulberry Home | Elidora

Elidora is an embroidery, a loose floral worked in polyester thread onto a linen ground rather than printed on it, so the pattern sits proud of the cloth and catches the light along the stitch. It belongs to Bohemian Romance, and the drawing has that collection's relaxed, well-travelled character, more like a piece of vintage needlework picked up abroad than a formal English crewelwork.

The ground is 63 per cent linen, with the remaining 37 per cent polyester forming the embroidery yarn, which gives the stitching a soft sheen against the matt linen. It is 128 centimetres wide, with a 78 centimetre vertical repeat and a 64 centimetre horizontal one, and it is recommended for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. There is one colourway, Spice, a warm, terracotta-toned embroidery that works as well against old timber as it does against a plain white wall.

We would use it for a pair of curtains in a sitting room or a bedroom, interlined so the embroidery has proper body, or for a bedspread with plain linen sheets. It also makes a good single armchair, upholstered so the embroidery sits centred on the inside back. Keep everything else in the room quiet: a plain linen, a plain wool. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

A making-up note: embroideries need a lining and, ideally, an interlining, both for the hang and to protect the stitching from fading. Allow a full 78 centimetre repeat per drop or per chair, and ask your maker to press from the reverse over a soft cloth. It must be dry cleaned professionally, and never ironed on the face.

• Composition: 63% linen, 37% polyester
• Width: 128 cm (50 in)
• Pattern repeat: 78 cm vertical, 64 cm horizontal
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Bohemian Romance, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 1 (Spice)