groundwoven

Groundwoven refers to a textile practice in which fabric is woven on or immediately adjacent to a ground surface, using minimal equipment. The resulting cloth is typically thin, flexible, and drapes close to the floor, often creating a flat weave that conforms to the plane beneath it. The term is used primarily in contemporary textile discourse and experimental craft contexts rather than as a standard category in historical weaving.

Techniques and equipment: The process may employ a low-profile loom, a floor loom set close to the ground, or hand-held weaving frames placed at or just above floor level. Weavers may anchor warp threads to fixed points on the floor or to a temporary frame, allowing the weft to pass over and under while the fabric grows outward along the surface. Some practitioners emphasize direct contact with the ground for texture or for efficient use of space.

Materials and characteristics: Groundwoven fabrics can be made from natural fibers such as cotton, linen, wool, and sisal, or from synthetic blends. The technique can produce stable yet supple fabrics suitable for wraps, blankets, wall pieces, or experimental garments. The lack of a raised loom can influence the fabric’s firmness, edge finish, and selvage formation.

Notes and scope: Groundwoven is not widely standardized in textile nomenclature. It is discussed mainly in artist studios, craft workshops, and some ethnographic accounts as a method that emphasizes spontaneity, surface texture, and spatial relationship to the floor or ground. The term may overlap with flatweave, damask on floor-mounted frames, or experimental weaving frames in contemporary weaving.