Processes in Fiber
working by hand
The process of fiber art has its roots in the home.
Working with fiber includes many techniques and materials. Most artists start with skills learned from traditional methods of weaving, sewing, embroidery, quilting, crochet, knitting, dyeing, basketry, knotting, and tying. From these traditional processes, artists may branch out and experiment with new techniques. There is a history of functionality in the fiber arts, although many artists have moved far beyond that into pure art form.
Materials can be collected from nature; they can be created from scratch, as in spinning fiber, or manipulated, as in surface design or knotting.
Texture is important in fiber, from the soft slip of silk or a tightly coiled pine needle, to the rough catch of wool on your fingers, with work ranging from three-dimensional sculpture to the soft hills and valleys of a quilted piece.