commonly used to describe the colour of the basic fabric; under patterns or appliqués, etc.


www.oilyrags.co.uk/ladies1.html
Very pretty long sleeved dress, the background colour is brown, the dress is lined.


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Note added at 2003-01-11 18:33:32 (GMT)
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Just in case even more refs. are needed......
www.cybamall.com/dragons/batik-preparation.html
The first dyeing
Napthol and indigosol are used. The blending of the chemicals and the timing during the dipping itself are important factors. In the scheme of the design presented here, the first colour to be applied is red, the background colour. The cloth is immersed in the prepared dye-bath which dyes the unprotected parts deep red, as illustrated in Figure 4. The process takes only a few minutes.