There’s something so magical about fiber. The way the weft feels on a loom, a tangled skein of yarn, or the way wool feels when weaving just calms me down. Fiber art isn’t just stitches or patterns. It’s a form of peace to my adhd brain. I can fully focus on the texture and somehow it calms my brain from all the noise. Side note…I just recently found out people don’t have inner dialogue and holy cow am I jealous. I thought everyone was having constant conversations with themselves. Anyways, back to my point, fiber art is so much more to me than a sale or a like when I post it. It’s about transformation, patience, calm, and a sassy flair that I chose to put into it.  

Before I get into my fiber art glow up, I wanted to touch a bit on the history of wall hangings. When I start a new medium, I always investigate the origin of the hobby. I dove into fiber art no different and fell down a hole. My need-to-know things takes over sometimes so it sent me down a rabbit hole. So, here’s what I’ve learned…. 

Before wall hangings were a way just to bring texture and color to a wall, they were something people used not only for survival, but also storytelling and were even used as a status symbol. Wall hangings, also referred to as tapestries, date back thousands of years with early findings being from ancient Egypt, China, and Peru. Many pieces were embroidered, woven, and sometimes even used for insulation, decoration, or ceremonial purposes. In medieval times, tapestries were used as symbols of wealth and power and adorned castle walls depicting scenes of mythology, hunting, and daily life.  

So fun fact….in the 19th century there was a whole arts and crafts movement. It became sort of a challenge for people to find a divide between fine art and crafted art. William Morris was probably one of the more famous textile artists in medieval times. He created textiles that were both functional and beautiful and emphasized handwork and one of a kind pieces over industrial production. He was famously quoted as saying “Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” That quote is often used by fiber artists today. He also famously dyed his hands and up to his elbows blue while playing with textiles and dye and proudly walked around with them as a show of his experimentation.  

Although fiber art did disappear with the medieval times, it found its resurgence in 1969 again with a huge exhibition of wall hangings at the Museum of Modern Art. Curated by Mildred Constatine and Jack Lenor Larsen, they curated works of sculpture, conceptual, and even Avante Garde. They had pieces hung from ceilings, free standing, and even rotating on tables which broke traditions of only hanging from walls.  

Now I say all of that to say art history really matters when really diving into a new medium. Understanding where it comes from and being a part of how it moves forward could eventually play a part in the future of your medium. It’s a look of where it began to what it has evolved into now and with that information I incorporate where I started to where I am now with my most recent piece. I didn’t really stick to the conventional rules but strayed a bit to play with things like adding ribbon, wool, fun metals, gold foil, and natural woods. I trusted the process of my crazy ADHD brain. My first piece comes from a kit I bought at Target when Brit + Co released their different craft kits. I want to say it was in 2017 those kits were released, and my last finished piece was in 2019. This is a 2-year growth shown. I can’t wait to dive back into textiles, texture, and colors. It’s probably what I look most forward to doing and plan to do once I am settled in my new move.  

XOXO,

Savi Monroe