Glossary

Light-gap protection describes the constructional details by which blackout curtains keep light from entering at the edges: the overlap of the lengths at the centre, a side channel guiding the cloth along the wall, and a pelmet that closes the gap above the track. Only the interplay of these details turns a dense fabric into a truly dark room; La Couverta plans them into every made-to-measure blackout.

The pattern repeat is the repeating unit of a design in the cloth — the distance after which a pattern repeats in height and width. When cutting, the lengths of fabric must be placed so that the pattern continues coherently across seams and parts; this matching raises the fabric consumption noticeably. The larger the repeat, the greater the extra consumption — a significant price factor for patterned slipcovers and curtains.

Pin fit describes a close-fitting slipcover that follows the silhouette of the piece line by line — cut like a bespoke suit, with a clearly drawn seat edge, back and arm. It is the counterpart to the loose cover, which falls more softly and deliberately leaves air between cloth and furniture. Both forms are measured on the original at La Couverta and fitted as a toile; the choice is a question of the room and the character of the piece.

The saddle cloth lies between saddle and back: it protects the horse’s coat from rubbing and takes up the sweat. La Couverta makes saddle cloths to measure — cut to the shape of the saddle and the withers, lined and cleanly bound, on request with the embroidered monogram of the stable or the family.

A toile is an unbleached, untreated cotton cloth in a plain weave — in Britain also known as calico. It takes pins, chalk marks and unpicking well, which makes it the classic material for mock-up covers in bespoke tailoring. The mock-up of the toile fitting is cut from it and pinned and marked on the original piece before the actual fabric is touched.

Trevira CS is an inherently flame-retardant polyester fibre: the flame resistance lies in the fibre itself rather than in an after-treatment, so it survives many washes. Fabrics woven from Trevira CS meet, depending on their construction, the test procedures of the IMO FTP Code (Parts 5, 7, 8 and 9) and are approved for use on board seagoing vessels. La Couverta carries Trevira CS fabrics for yacht textiles and contract interiors; the certificate of each fabric is documented in the Textile Passport.

Trimmings are textile finishes: braids, fringes, tassels and cords that are sewn on as an edge or an ornament. On slipcovers they line the hem or trace the edges; on curtains they form the finish towards the wall or the floor. La Couverta uses trimmings with restraint — a tonal braid on a floor-length table skirt or a fine fringed edge on a curtain, never as an end in itself.

Wide-width fabric is cloth woven in a large width, commonly between 280 and 330 centimetres. From it, curtains and tablecloths can be made without a centre seam, because the width of the cloth covers the whole height or length of the piece. La Couverta carries linen, molton and blackout fabrics in wide widths — for tables, window walls and bed canopies without a visible division.