Textile fiber art has been growing in popularity for the past year and it is only continuing to surge as an art and design trend. You might be wondering, what is textile fiber art? We’re going to go over that and more in this blog post.
From understanding exactly what fiber art is, to how to use textiles as art in your home, and why fiber art and textiles are a huge growing trend โ I am going to cover all things textiles and fiber art for your home.
Quilts, tufted wall art, rugs, woven wall hangings, macrame โ these are all examples of fiber art. Fiber art and textiles go hand in hand. Basically, all textiles have to be made from some sort of fiber. And when an artist gets creative with yarn, thread, and fabric, exciting things start happening.
Most of us grow up seeing paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs on the walls inside of peoples’ homes. As a result, you might not be as accustomed to seeing a quilt hanging on the wall, or other forms of fiber art. This trend is really new and exciting! I hope that this post gives you more information about something that you may not have heard of otherwise.
This blog post is all about textile fiber art.
What is fiber art?
Fiber art is art that is made from fibers โ so anything made from yarn, thread, rope, or fabric can be considered fiber art. Like most mediums of art, fiber art materials can lend themselves to crafting. The craft community around fiber art materials like yarn, for example, is huge! So many people love knitting and crafting with these soft, inviting materials. It doesn’t stop there, though.
There is a broader range of fiber art than just the craft community. Fiber art also can be made into fine art. Skilled artists continue to push the craft to new places. Artists who create fiber art as fine art are emerging more and more.
There are a variety of types of fiber art. What classifies fiber art is the type of material it is made out of and how it is made. Historically, textiles like quilts and rugs are one of the most popular types of fiber art. Different types of weaving are also fiber art, like the woven wall hangings that started to become popular a few years ago. Now, fiber art has become even more expansive.
As you can imagine, whether something is made by a machine or is handmade makes a big difference. Typically, if fiber art is handmade it is going to be worth a lot more.
Handmade is the name of the game when it comes to fiber art. I love the patchwork piece in the pin above because it has such a personal and intimate feel. That’s something that is really special about the fiber art community โ there is a special connection you can form with the artist.
What types of textiles and fiber art are growing in popularity?
Right now, tufted art is growing in popularity really fast. Tufted art is not a type of art that most people have heard of before. Tufting is a type of textile weaving where an artist creates a piece of fabric out of weaving thread through it. The artist creates tufts with the thread, which gives the fabric a multidimensional look and feel. Unlike other fabric, tufting does not have a flat appearance.
Part of why tufting is growing so much in popularity is because of how textural it is visually and to the touch. As you can see in the pin below, not only does tufting involve pattern, it involves varying pile height. Pile height is the thickness of the fabric.
Tufted art has a completely unique look. It is unlike anything else you have on your walls in your home. That’s part of why so many people are starting to hop on this growing trend. It’s hard not to when it adds a completely unique feel to your space. The really cool thing about tufted art is that it pairs extremely well with other art. Because it is fabric, it will add contrast to other art in your home, but also will fit in. Focusing on the color palette and how that fits with the rest of the art in your home is the key.
It’s important to note that tufting is not always done by hand. There are machines that make it easier to tuft faster. This is great, but personally part of what I love about tufting is the handmade nature of it.
I have been obsessed with finding artists who make hand tufted fine art. Honestly, I am on the hunt for the perfect hand tufted art for my own home. If you would be interested in reading a post about artists who make fiber art (kind of like the other artist blog posts I have done), comment below!
Now, let’s talk about how to integrate fiber art into your home.
How do you use textiles as art in your home?
It is much simpler than you may think to use textiles as art in your home. All you have to do is hang textiles up! But, when you say it like that it makes it sound a little easier than it is in reality. Hanging up art is something that can feel really permanent and intimidating.
In addition to that, you want to be selective when you decide what textiles you are going to hang on your walls. For example, a throw blanket probably won’t look very artful on your walls. On the other hand, there are quilts and other textiles that you can hang as tapestries and they will look beautiful.
Another way to hang up your textiles as art in your home is to frame them. If framing wall art is intimidating to you, I have a blog post all about the dos and don’ts of framing. Framing looks best with fiber art that is mostly flat and is relatively small.
An even simpler option is to buy fiber art from artists who create fiber art that is made to be hung up directly on your wall. No frame needed. This way, it takes no effort from you to figure out how to hang it up in your home. All you have to do is choose where you want to hang it.
The pin above has an example of hand tufted wall art. The design of the leopard’s head is fiber art! As you can see, this was made to be hung up on the wall. With such a variety of designs and what you can make with tufting, it is quickly becoming one of the forms of fiber art that is most popular. It’s on the rise, and you want to make sure that you learn about it so that you can get ahead of the trend.
Why are fiber art and textiles becoming a growing trend?
Fiber art is not new, it has been around for a long, long time. You can learn more about the history of textile art and fiber art through this article by The Modern Met. It talks about how textile art is literally “one of the oldest forms of art in human civilization,” which is pretty cool.
Textiles and fiber art are gaining traction in a new way, though. Artists are pushing the boundaries in new ways and people are hanging up a broader variety of types of art in their homes. Traditional methods of crafting and creating textiles and fiber art are being used by artists in more unique and non-traditional ways to create fine art.
It’s really important to note that fiber art is becoming more and more popular across different design styles. It used to be the case that woven wall hangings and macrame were considered more bohemian, and they still can be, but there is a much broader array of fiber art emerging. Now more than ever, fiber art is something that you are going to start seeing across design styles: from farmhouse design like what Studio McGee and Amber Interiors design, to the Justina Blakeney Jungalow style.
The pin above shows fiber art that is much more neutral and has a modern aesthetic, which is a relatively new development. Fiber arts is emerging as a trend that all designers are starting to gravitate towards when designing homes, because it adds art, texture, and softness to a space.
Textiles and fiber art have been around for a long time, but right now there’s something special happening. Artists are pushing the boundaries with their work more than ever. Where textiles and fiber art used to be popular only in some design styles, artists are breaking down barriers. Fiber art is a growing trend in every design style, and it is a beautiful addition to any home.
This post was all about textile fiber art.
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