Fiber Art

Fiber art can be found in most areas of fine art and craft art. It ranges from inclusion in jewelry to paintings, sculptures, dolls, costumes, quilting and anywhere that fabrics, threads, or felting can be found. In general, fiber art describes using textile fibers in new ways to achieve artistic effects. An area that has witnessed a great deal of fiber art transformation is quilting. Some quilters have adventured far beyond typical quilted patterns to incorporate fiber, felting and unusual stitching in their hanging art pieces. This has transformed some quilts into art that is hard to categorize.

Place an image you would like to experiment with close to your work table for easy reference.

People use weaving’s, quilts and other fiber art pieces for display on walls, but fiber art pieces need special hanging hardware before displaying. The easiest way is to attach loops to the fiber art and slide through a curtain rod. This process is quick, simple and doesn’t damage the original fiber art. Another method for hanging a piece of fiber art is using hook and loop tape. It is attached to the back of the fiber art and another a piece is attached to the wall. Press the hook and loop pieces together, attaching the art to the wall without anything in view.

Cut three 4-inch long pieces of purse strapping material. These make the loops for hanging the fiber art.

Fiber art is creative expression through the medium of natural fibrous materials. “Fiber art may be constructed by methods traditionally associated with textile fibers such as stitching, weaving, dyeing, etc. Fiber art may consist of objects traditionally associated with textiles including clothing, rugs, linens, wall hangings, etc.,” according to Susan Taber Avila, a textile artist and Associate Professor of Design at University of California Davis. Sloppy craft is an emerging fiber art where “every detail must express the meaning of the whole, rather than being perfect,” according to Arthur Danto, art critic for “The Nation.”

Lay a collage on your framed canvas incorporating natural media like cloth pieces from clothing, wood chips, magazine cut outs, old postcards, etc.

Quilting was once merely a way that a thrifty homemaker combined fabric scraps to become a source of nighttime comfort and bedroom decor. The humble quilt has evolved to become a celebrated art form. Fiber art — the use of yarn, textiles, natural and synthetic fibers to make aesthetically appealing art — is a practice that has many forms, including the art quilt.