Powdering

Hand embroidered powdering of stitches on a silk background. Hand embroidered powdering of stitches on a silk background.

Powdering is a term used to describe the ornamentation of a piece of cloth or other material by scattering and then stitching individual bracteates, jewels, small embroidered motifs, etc. This meaning of the verb ‘to powder’ dates back to the late medieval period in England. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives a meaning of "to sprinkle or to spangle (a surface) with ...."

Sources:

  • TORTORA, Phyllis G. and Ingrid JOHNSON (2014). The Fairchild Books: Dictionary of Textiles, 8th edition, London: Bloomsbury, p. 477.
  • Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: 'powder'

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 4 June 2016).

GVE

 

Last modified on Saturday, 15 April 2017 17:32
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