Favorite Fiber Finds: What Our Editors are Talking About

Working for a company that’s devoted to fiber arts and crafts has many perks, just one of which is getting to work alongside some fantastic people who are passionate about the fiber, yarn, and making.

When we get together for our regular editorial meeting, we share not only issues and updates, but also information about cool artists, interesting exhibits, techniques or tools we’ve learned about, and other interesting tidbits related to the world of fiber. After sharing interesting finds like this for well over a year, we realized that some of you out there might also be interested in these fun fiber finds. Much though I'd love to share everything from our list, I've narrowed it down to just a few. Also, we're always on the lookout for more fiebr-related resources to share so feel free to email us your favorites!

Index of American Design

Brought to us by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Index of American Design is a collection of watercolors commissioned to showcase examples of American folk art from the colonial period through 1900. The more-than 18,000 paintings were created as part of a Federal Art Project and include images of home décor, paintings, toys, and, of course, textiles. The entire collection is available online and contains hundreds of examples of early-American textile traditions, including an impressive array of coverlets and coverlet fragments. Some of them are so detailed, including the painting at top, it’s hard to believe they’re not photographs.

Victorian Puzzle Purse

An example of a Victorian puzzle purse from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

When I was in grade school, my friends and I would frequently make “fortunte tellers” or “cootie catchers” out of folded paper. Later, in middle and high school, we’d pass elaborately folded notes, designed to fit in the palm of the hand while still looking pretty. Apparently Victorians were doing exactly the same thing more than a century earlier, creating what they called puzzle purses out of paper. Learn a little more about the history of puzzle purses (and how to make your own!) here and then see how Elliot Rockart, a modern textile artist, created puzzle purses out of hand-embroidered cloth here.

Ancient Fashion

While we don’t know a lot about Iron Age fashion, some of the little we do know comes from an unusual source: peat bogs. Fabrics buried in these mossy wetlands can survive for thousands of years without breaking down, thanks to the anaerobic conditions. Learn about the Huldremose woman and her clothing at the Dutch National Museums website here and then see a re-creation of a child’s hooded cape at the Orkney Museum here.

I hope you enjoy exploring these fun fiber finds as much as I did! Just be careful! It’s easy to lose an hour (or more—a lot more) once you get started.

Happy Weaving!

Christina