Do you know someone who quilts, weaves, knits, crochets or does needlework? They might make something functional, like a sweater, or something decorative, like a wall hanging.

The fiber arts encompass all the arts made from fibers. Traditionally, fibers come from plants or animals. For example, linen is made from the stems of flax plants, while cotton is made from the seed pods of cotton plants. In some cultures, the inner bark of trees has been used for weaving. Silk is made from the spun cocoons of silkworms, and wool has been spun from the hair of sheep, llamas, goats, alpaca, and dogs.

Fiber is spun (or twisted) into strands called yarn or thread. Sometimes the yarn or thread is dyed and sometimes it is used in its natural color.

To make cloth, the thread or yarn is knit, crocheted or woven on a loom. Today most spinning and weaving is done by machines, but some artists, like Gladys Clark, still weave with fibers they have harvested, processed, and spun themselves.

Jon Eric Riis is another weaver. He uses a variety of materials to weave his tapestries. He often incorporates precious materials such as metallic or silk thread and embellishments such as freshwater pearls, crystal and coral beads.

Carole Demesmin also uses embellishments in creating ritual artifacts, known as pakets kongo (magical charms). After wrapping satin cloth around a core of herbs, she decorates her pakets with symbolic feathers, lace, and sequins.

Darryl Montana uses feathers, sequins, and beads to create the elaborate ceremonial headdresses and costumes he wears as the Big Chief of the Yellow Pocahontas Tribe in the annual traditional Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans.

Another artist that uses a wide range of materials in her fiber art is Shawne Major. Her wall hangings are a narrative expression of her experiences growing up in southwestern Louisiana. She uses multiple processes as well as diverse materials. The elements of her work are sewn, woven, bound, patched, and crocheted together.

The work of three of the quilt artists – Gwendolyn Magee, Geraldine Nash, and Clara Haluska Fodor – are also narrative works, each telling a different story. Other quilters, like Irene Cheek, Gustina Atlas, and Mozell Benson, use geometric patterns.

Today there are also synthetic materials like plastic and acrylic available to fiber artists. Gene Kaufman, a professor of fabric art, has used ultra modern materials to simulate one of the earliest woven garments known to history, the Kaunakes of Mesopotamia. This work underscores the important role that fiber arts have played – and continue to play – in civilization.