Grounding (noun)

Grounding is a medieval and later English term (both UK and USA) referring to the stitched background area of a pattern. It is also called the ground.

The earliest known use of the word ‘grounding’ with respect to textiles dates to 1466, when it refers to the application of a secondary colour for block printing on paper or textiles.

Sources:

  • CAULFEILD, Sophia Frances Anne and Blanche C. SAWARD (1882). The Dictionary of Needlework, London: L. Upcott Gill, p. 231.
  • FROST, S. Annie (1877). The Ladies’ Guide to Needle Work, Embroidery, etc. New York: Adams and Bishop, pp. 41-42.
  • Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: 'grounding'

GVE

Last modified on Tuesday, 14 March 2017 21:13
Published in General embroidery
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