Through this blog, we’ve explored fiber arts as a part of the historical record, as a tool for community building, as pieces of practical art, and as a medium that, today, anyone and everyone can enjoy in one form or another. Still, you might have your own reservations. The image of fiber arts as it has been portrayed in popular culture over the past decades still looms large (no pun intended). You may think that because your mother or your grandmother didn’t pass down fiber

Once Claudia Mills fell in love with rag rugs, that was it. “I think initially, it was just so unique because I was using all different kinds of textures - stripes and plaids and prints - and they all weave up so differently. I was so excited to see how they would look,” Mills explained. While at first the shaping and distortion of various prints drove her work, now Mills works exclusively with solid colors in her professional practice. “With solids, it’s color driven. How wi

On a bustling Old City Street, pedestrians passing by Claudia Mills Rugs are treated to an unfamiliar sight in 21st century America: weaving. Peaking through floor to ceiling windows, weavers can be seen diligently crafting pieces of functional art. Hanging on the walls, displayed on tall wooden racks, each rug is a riot of color, revealing a new shade or variation each time the sun shines through the storefront. Their team is small but mighty, with Claudia Mills herself work

As evidenced by the time I’ve spent exploring fiber artistry in its many iterations on this blog, I clearly find it to be a medium of immense artistic and practical value no matter how you choose to show your creative skills. But beyond the beautiful and useful end result, the act of creating a piece of fiber art has a set of unique benefits all its own. I am by no means the first person to comment on the upside to cultivating a fiber arts practice, and beyond individual, ane