Traditional Needlepoint Stitch in Sampler Patch

Next to the Linenfold Patch is an interesting Straight Stitch, Hungarian Ground. You know Hungarian, it’s those little diamonds that can be made with vertical or horizontal stitches. I like it because I think the diamond pattern is very pretty.

Hungarian Ground is different. It has Hungarians, but they are set off by zig-zag lines of Straight Stitches. As a result you get a diaper pattern (pattern repeats in all directions) that reminds me of patterns in men’s ties. This idea would be enhanced if you stitched in two colors.

Make this stitch, diagrammed below, in rows. First a zig-zag row, then followed by the Hungarians.

This kind of pattern is also called a half-drop pattern. You can see this by looking at the Hungarian diamonds. Each column and row is offset half a repeat from the adjacent rows. This kind of pattern is characteristic of many diaper patterns and you also see it often in fabrics and wallpaper.

You also might be wondering if the name means anything. It does in fact. In embroidery “ground” can mean one of two things. First, it can refer to the fabric on which embroidery is stitched. Needlepoint canvas is a ground, but so is silk gauze, Aida cloth, or even a regular fabric used for embroidery.

Second, “ground” can refer to any pattern that is used as a background or, sometimes, to stitch an area. Another name for these patterns is “fill” patterns. It’s basically a term for how a pattern is used. Let’s say you were doing some free embroidery on a piece of flower-strewn fabric. The fabric itself is the ground for the embroidery in the first sense because the embroidery is being done on it. The flower pattern is the ground for the piece in the second sense because it forms the background pattern for the piece.

Come back in two weeks for the next patch in this fun sampler.