The word textile is from Latin texere which means "to weave", "to braid" or "to construct". The simplest textile art is felting, in which animal fibers … See more

From early times, textiles have been used to cover the human body and protect it from the elements; to send social cues to other people; to store, … See more

Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period of the nineteenth century, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science". This … See more

Natural fibers have been an important aspect of human society since 7000 B.C., and it is suspected that they were first used in ornamental cloths since 400 B.C. in India where cotton was first grown. Natural fibers have been used for the past 4000 to 5000 years … See more

Light microscopy, normal transmission electron microscopy, and most recently scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to study ancient textile remains to determine what natural fibers were used to create them. Once textiles are found, the fibers are teased … See more

While plant use in textile art is still common today, there are new innovations being developed, such as Suzanne Lee's art installation "BioCouture". Lee uses fermentation to create a plant-based paper sheet that can be cut and sewn just like cloth- ranging in … See more

• For articles on textile arts by region, see All pages with titles beginning with Textile arts of. See more