A basket that stands up on its own, and goes back in shape after a wipe.

Most cloth bread baskets collapse the moment you take the bread out. These hold their form because the linen is coated and the top rolls down into a cuff, which gives the wall something to stand on. Six and a quarter inches across, five and a half tall, which takes a few rolls, a sliced baguette standing upright, or grissini at an angle.

The coating is the same one we use on the placemats. It keeps oil from a warm focaccia and the damp from a cut loaf sitting on the surface rather than passing into the cloth, so the basket comes back to the table looking like itself. It is not waterproof, and what the coating actually does is a smaller and more useful promise than the category usually makes.

Cut, sewn and embroidered in Italy, one motif at a time, in the same motifs as the placemats and the cocktail napkins. A table can carry one of each without repeating itself.

Questions

What size are these baskets?

Six and a quarter inches across and five and a half inches tall, 16 by 14 cm. That holds bread for four to six people, and the rolled cuff can be turned down further to make the basket lower for a small table.

Does the basket hold its shape?

Yes. The coated linen has enough body to stand, and the fold-over cuff at the top stiffens the rim, which is the part that usually gives way on a soft cloth basket.

How do I clean it?

Wipe the inside and outside with a damp cloth and a little mild soap, promptly. Washing is the exception rather than the routine: a maximum of 40°C on a gentle cycle, no fabric softener, no spin, no dryer. Dry it hanging in the shade and iron on the reverse at medium heat. The full routine is here.

Can I use it for things other than bread?

Yes, and most of our clients do. Crackers and grissini, fruit, a bottle of wine at an angle, chocolates at the end of a meal, or the small things that gather on a console near the door.

Can bread go straight into the basket?

Yes, the way bread has always gone into cloth. It is a linen textile, like a tablecloth or a bread cloth. Many people also lay a napkin inside and fold it over the loaf, which holds the warmth a little longer and makes the crumbs easier to shake out afterwards.

Do the motifs match your other pieces?

Yes. The same motifs are embroidered across the baskets, the placemats, the napkins and the cocktail napkins, so a table can be set with a single motif or with several from the same collection.

Where are they made?

Cut, sewn and embroidered in Italy. The flax itself is grown in the linen belt of western Europe, which is where nearly all fine European linen begins.