Behind The Design | The Linen & Cotton Throw

The story behind our newest layering product, launching 18^th November.

Bedfolk founder Jo James (who heads up product) talks us through the design process that led to our new super-soft and crinkle-textured product: The Linen & Cotton Throw. 

Why Throws?

I’ve always been frustrated by the size of throws I’ve previously bought – they look really mean draped on the bed or sofa, barely touching the sides, and certainly never big enough for more than one person to get comfortable. I wanted to design something that was overly generous; big enough to wrap up the whole bed, with room to spare for your partner / friends / pets / children. So we started with that – a 250 x 250cm sizing, which feels lovely and generous on all beds. For reference the typical UK sizing for a throw marketed as for ‘all bed sizes’ is 140 x 180cm.

We also wanted to offer an alternative to our Quilts, which were launched in September this year. We’ve barely been able to keep them in stock since due to their popularity, which has been amazing, but I was keen to offer a lighter weight alternative so that we could make sure we were answering all of our customers bed layering needs. Our Throws don’t have the inner fill of the Quilts, so have a beautiful light drape to them – they’re almost wearable! 

The Linen & Cotton Throw in Clay

Talk us through the fabric and how they're made...

During a visit to our Portuguese mill in 2019 a small swatch of crinkly fabric caught my eye, and I brought it home with me. Turns out it was a garment washed linen-cotton mix, in a dobby weave yarn dye (what a mouthful)! The colour was a really soft neutral greige and the texture was beautiful – effortlessly crinkled. I worked with the mill over the next 6 months to translate that small swatch of fabric into our Linen & Cotton Throws.

Generously sized for ultimate comfort
The Linen & Cotton Throw in Ink

What we eventually came up with was a product that is 52% linen and 48% cotton. In textile manufacturing, the threads are turned into fabric with two basic components: the warp and the weft. The warp threads run lengthwise whilst the weft threads are drawn through and inserted over-and-under the warp. In the case of our Throws, the warp is 100% cotton in a natural greige colour (inspired by that initial swatch), and the weft is 100% linen in a mix of the natural greige colour and our Bedfolk colours: Rose, Ink & Clay. This means two things for the colour:

1. It’s a softer and more gentle shade of the Bedfolk colours – a result of being mixed with the natural greige yarns. It’s almost like it’s a ‘half dose’, which is most visible on darker colours, like Ink. This makes for a really beautiful layering contrast.
2. The Throws are all reversible, with a natural greige back and then a Rose / Ink / Clay front, meaning you can fold it back on the bed to add another layer of soft contrast.

Perfectly versatile
The Linen & Cotton Throw in Rose

What's special about The Linen & Cotton Throw? 

So much!

• The most important thing is the size, it’s just perfect for cuddling up with your family, pets and friends. We love the way it looks so generous on the bed, it’s got that uber comfortable vibe that we’re all about at Bedfolk.
• The second thing is the effortless texture. You can ‘throw’ it on the bed – or sofa - and it looks beautiful, with very minimal effort. It’s crinkly and soft due to the weave and the fact that it has a garment washed finish.
• The third thing is, as always, the makers. We’re proud to make all of our bedding and bedding layers in a medieval town in Northern Portugal. They’ve been crafting world class textiles for more than 70 years, and are absolute experts in their field. This means the products are the best they can be, and made with a huge amount of care and attention to detail.
• It was also important to create a gift-able price point with the Throws - as a one size fits all product, they're ideal for gifting, so we've worked hard to be able to price them at £99 (whilst keeping them oversized and a beautiful, soft, long-lasting quality).
• Finally, and importantly, our Throws are easy to care for – washing machine and tumble dryer friendly. We’re really big on making sure our products work well for real day-to-day life.

Generously sized for two (or more)
The Linen & Cotton Throw in Clay

We hope you love The Linen & Cotton Throw.

Shop Throws Here