Whether an art student or majoring in the sciences, you can benefit from learning one or
many fiber art methods. In the following sections, you’ll learn about different types of crafts,
famous artists, and how taking up one or two hobbies can improve your college study habits and
get you through all the tough finals. When you think of art, you may focus on painting or
sculpting with clay and marble. You may even think about people and how they create art out of
various metals or scrap parts, and you’d be right. For this article, I want you to think of
crocheting, sewing, knitting, etc- and no, it’s not just something your grandma used to do for fun.
Art is a broad term for creating something from scratch. Take the challenge and master an art
form today; your grades will thank us later.
Take a Step Back in Time to Your Family Quilt
Do you have a hope chest full of quilts or pillowcases at home or a big heavy blanket
hanging on the wall? Do you ever wonder where it came from or why you can’t snuggle up with
it on the couch? It’s likely a family heirloom passed down and hand-crafted by someone in your
family. But why does it hold so much significance? Most likely, it traces back to using fiber to
create art. What is fiber arts, you ask? It’s a broad category of creative practices involving the
use of fibers, yarns, and textiles to create a masterpiece. Using fabric over metals and paints is
unique in art, as the finished creation is functional and beautiful.
Did you know that macramé art has been used since Victorian times? It was first seen in
Turkey and used for hanging potted plants and wall hangings for decoration. Quilting and sewing
go back, however, to the Egyptian ages, when Pharaohs were seen wearing woven socks. These
art forms started as a necessary means to stay warm, sewing animal hides together and then
creating fabrics and quilting them together for beautiful blankets. This talent was passed on from
elders who taught the next generation to make clothes and blankets meant to last their lifetimes.
Now, we see hand-crafted blankets and wall tapestries for art more than warmth.
Understanding the history of fiber use as an art student can give you a deeper appreciation
for your work today and in the future as a fiber artist. The process of creating masterpieces was
not all work and no play. Many cultural elders used these practices for meditation, focus, and to
improve dexterity and hand/eye coordination. As a college student, you can also reap these
benefits by picking up a hobby that helps you focus, recall details, and relieve stress. Engaging in
one of these methods can be a rewarding and enriching experience, personally and
academically.
There are Many Types of Fiber Arts to Choose
From
If you are new to the world of fiber crafting, let me assure you there is an option for you, no
matter what type of stress relief you need as a student. Some forms date back centuries, while
others may be a newer concept. Whatever option you choose, rest assured you can improve detail
recall, focus, concentration, and motor skills. What better way to relieve the stress of a long
research paper than to jab a dull needle through a colorful piece of fabric and create beauty from
frustration? After learning whatever type of art you choose, you will be amazed at how it helps
eliminate that sore wrist and finger cramping from all those reports and essays you have to
finish. Let’s look at just a few options and how choosing one or more is an accessible hobby for
any student and offers a productive and creative outlet during your studies.
Crocheting Is Not Just Your Grandma’s Hobby
For as long as I can remember, my grandma would sit on the couch with the TV on and
crochet the day away. She could carry on a conversation, yell at John Wayne, and never lose a
stitch. This could be why she was so quick to slap your hand away from the cookie jar when we
thought she wasn’t looking. The repetitive hand movements put your brain on autopilot mode,
lower cortisol levels- the stress hormone- and heighten serotonin levels. What better way to
relieve your study stress than to zone out for a few hours while simultaneously improving your
reflexes? Another great reason to take up this art form is that you can take your yarn with you
anywhere and never have to talk to other students or make eye contact since you need to focus on
your over/under stitch.
Build Confidence with Knit One, Purl Two
One of the most confidence-boosting fiber crafts is knitting. Sure, you can create works of
beautiful works in any art form, but where else can you learn on your own or in a knitting group
and completely fail at what you attempt and come out laughing on the other side? Knitting is
brutal on the brain but in the best way possible. It commands you to focus, do math, concentrate,
and accept that what you learn will not be right on the first try. Knitting in a group creates an
environment that students need so much, where it’s okay to ask for help and mess up, only to
unravel your work and start again. It’s where you learn math concepts by remembering how
many lines you’ve done before switching to purl and pattern recognition, but it also instills pride
and confidence once you master a pattern and have a finished product.
Stick a Needle in it- Embroidery Time!
The art of using a sharp needle to thread colored string through a fabric piece is one of
timeless history. Additionally, it’s an excellent way for students to build cognitive and problem-
solving skills. This creative art-making method is also a great meditative tool to hone in on a
specific task, improving patience and focus. Remember those pillowcases in the hope chest at
home? They were most likely embroidered with fancy scenes, details of a child’s birth, or
sayings such as “Home Sweet Home.” Plus, if you’re frustrated from busting your butt on your
research paper all day, you can take those frustrations out by jabbing the needle through the
fabric and creating beauty out of anger. Even though this might very well be the oldest form of
creating art with fabric and a needle, the art form has outlasted many a generation. We used to
see teenagers of the 90s with cool flowers embroidered on their jeans for fashion!
Not the Macarena- Do the Macramé!
This beautiful fiber wall art doesn’t require you to show off your dance moves, but you
might want to stand and shout once you see the benefits of learning the craft. Macramé is a
unique art form. You use long fabric strings and tie knots in various thicknesses and sizes,
creating a wide-holed net-like setup. Mostly used for hanging potted plants, some hang on the
wall as art. The finished piece can be calming to admire, but taking part in the creation brings
tranquility to your mind, releasing stress and bringing you to a meditative state. Working with the
fabric also creates sensory stimulation when pulling the strings between your fingers and
working the knots into shape. Imagine your sense of accomplishment when you stand back and
admire your handiwork. Once your break from finals is over, you can use that sense of
achievement to buckle down and knock out that research paper.
Weaving- Where the Fabric Story Begins
Every art form has a beginning, and weaving is where it all began for using fabric to create
art. Just like you need books to research details for a paper, someone must weave pieces of cloth
or thread together to create fabric for other art-making methods. Also, like searching for online
homework help on an essay, you can find classes and “how to” forums to learn to weave. This
technique is still going strong generation after generation. Weaving is a therapeutic method of art
where one can sit for hours in a calm and meditative state, letting worries and stress melt away.
No matter your ambitions, taking as little as 5-10 minute breaks from your studies to weave
ribbon, yarn, or thick ropes of material will give you a sense of achievement and pride. That
feeling lingers when you return to your deep research assignment, reminding you that you can do
anything you put your mind to.
Let’s Check in on a Fiber Artist or Two
We talk mostly about how using art and its various creative methods helps calm and relax
students and increases cognitive and problem-solving development, team building, confidence,
and more. However, everyone creates art for meditative reasons. What about how everything
started and who you can look to for guidance and awe? Many of us can name a famous musician
like Mozart or a painter like Jackson Pollack, but what of those who impact the world through a
lesser-known art form? There are famous fiber artists out there who have impacted those
around them with their art. Let’s meet a few and discuss their contributions to their respective
field and how their work has influenced the art world and broadened the cultural connections in
and out of the classroom. While this is commonly a female-dominated art form, we will read
about some great male artists as well.
Faig Ahmed- Old Art- New Concepts
This artist took his cultural history of weaving and mixed it with modern technologies and
methods to create what we may consider contemporary art. In his home country, carpet-making
is revered and passed on to each generation, but he took it one modern-day step further by using
technology to create an image of melting carpet layers. He then teamed up with many weavers to
create fiber art masterpieces to pay tribute to his culture while applying modern methods as
today’s new-age technologies allowed. What was once thought of as a rebellious act done in
secret is now an influential line of art that shows the best of both worlds in one art piece. As his
creative art continues, he strives to weave his cultural values into pieces while keeping in touch
with modern changes, steering away from the old ways of mothers only teaching daughters, but
males in this role teaching others too.
Katherine Westphal-The Melting Pot of Art
All artists start somewhere, and Katherine started with paints. She dipped her paintbrush into
various colors of the world, creating, learning, and loving the world of art. Soon after, she dove
into the world of fiber arts and immediately splashed her paint talents into the threads of an
entirely new concept for her. She traveled from her home in California to Mexico in order to
open her mind to cultural diversity. She quickly became the melting pot of art, mixing paints,
photos, quilting, and weaving into her perspective of art and creation. Katherine spoke about
being trained to think like a painter first; her process is to create and destroy, cut fabric and piece
them together again, making something new, sew fragments of broken or torn fabric to create a
beautiful new quilt that inspires a mix of her culture and that she studied along her years of
making.
Jack and Holman Wang- Magic in Felt
Two brothers who took their creative playtime as children to an entirely new level created a
3D world for book readers through needle-felt art. Their beginning starts just there, as children
who, as adults and then fathers, had to find a way to entertain their kids and make reading and
learning fun in a whole new way. Holman came across needle-felting and taught himself the
basics. It was all uphill from there. Felting originates back to Central Asia, where the technique
was used to melt felt fabric, inadvertently making it more pliable. The Wang brothers took that
concept and made themselves famously known in the fiber and fabric art world. Their love of
children’s play and entertaining their own children led to the influence of art and reading by
bringing to life characters from various books and allowing kids to have a visual much more
lifelike than flat pictures in a book or even on screen.
Sheila Hicks- possibly The Original
If you study the work and history of art in fiber, you have probably heard of Sheila. She has
over 60 years in the industry and may be one of the originals of her kind. She is known for
venturing out of her comfort zone to do what she does NOT already know how to do and then to
show the world what she has learned. Traveling most of her life, she adapts all cultures into her
masterpieces. There isn’t a texture or aspect of fiber work she hasn’t dipped her toes into, and
she strives to teach others as much as they are willing to learn. She influences the youth of
America, Chile, South Africa, Paris, and other countries, setting up craft shops and taking time
out to show her pride in multicultural learning and talents. Although she spends much of her time
teachings, she truly is in it to have fun and enjoy creating during her lifetime.
You Can Learn and Grow with Fiber Art
As a student, you need a healthy outlet when finals get tough or a break from writing a long
essay. Why not find a new hobby in fiber crafts that allows you to forget your worries for a few
hours and improve your brain and body? Build your hand/eye coordination and finger dexterity,
and swell up those brain muscles, all while doing something fun and creative. By learning how to
sew, knit, or weave, you could find a new social group that also needs a brain break. While
meeting new friends, you could also gain a study buddy. Check out some famous artists you
connect with and find a new way to relieve stress.