An Afternoon of Fundamental Q&A with Muezart 💡

Muezart Team members working  with Eri silk | MuezartIt was a busy afternoon in Muezart. We were sorting the hand spun Eri silk yarn skeins which we had recently procured from a village near Shillong.

A casual question from a team-mate - "did you see the message Miranda shared of the Greek fiber art artist?” - got us chatting.

We never realized how artists were using silk fiber to create art. What we have put together here is what we discovered as we explored.

muezart team of weavers | Muezart

More often than not you will meet people who have a hobby, something that calls them, that works as an outlet for their creativity.

There is a variety of ‘Arts and Crafts’ to choose from, for a hobby.

The words ‘Arts and Crafts’ conjures up an image of people painting, knitting, doing embroidery and other handwork, is it not?

Did you know that there is something called fiber art? What is fiber art, you ask? Read on


 

Question 1: What is Fiber Art?
 

As the name ‘fiber art’ suggests, the raw material you use in fiber art is fiber! It can be a natural fiber like wool, cotton or silk, or it can be a synthetic fiber like nylon, polyester and so on. Both yarn and roving can be used for fiber art.

muezart undyed yarns | Muezart

We follow #fiberartistsofinstagram and dream about the day artists will be connecting with Muezart’s Eri silk top, roving, and yarn. Even better, we dream of seeing the colors that Eri, a protein fiber, will absorb. It is known for being an excellent natural fiber for dyeing.

Yarn is used for weaving fabrics which are then converted into clothing, upholstery and so on. Roving is the stage of the fiber before it is spun into yarn, and it too can be used for weaving.

Let us digress a bit to understand what is roving.

Question 2: What is Roving?

Natural fibers are collected by shearing a sheep, harvesting mature cotton buds, or by processing silk cocoons and so on.

eri roving and muga eri roving fibers | Muezart

The next step is cleaning the fiber and ‘combing’ using a carding machine or by hand.

After carding, the lumpy parts get fluffed and separated and the strands in the fiber mesh together into delicate webs and get ready for the next stage of processing.

The output after carding is called sliver or roving.

When sliver is stretched/drawn and given a slight twist it is called roving.

Roving is mainly used for spinning but can be used in this ‘raw form’ for knitting and even weaving.
 

Final Question: What are the types of fiber art?
 

Weaving, knitting, crochet, lace making, macramé and so on are ways of using fiber for producing utilitarian products. All these are types of fiber art.

There are also artists who focus on creating a work of art which satisfies their inner creativity and has a visual impact like wall-hangings and fiber-based sculptures using roving and yarn!

muezart dyed yarns and finished product | Muezart

Home Weaving is a type of fiber art too.

Types of fiber that work best for a home weaving project are yarns of wool, cotton, and silk. Of late weaving with silk yarn and silk, roving is becoming a popular hobby, which quite often turns into a passion.

Talking of silk, let us introduce you to Eri Silk very special silk from the state of Meghalaya, in the North-East part of India. Silk where the cocoons are processed after the moth flies away (they are not killed as it happens in other silks), silk which can be used to make beautiful scarves and outfits, and easy to maintain.

If you are looking at exploring the world of weaving, consider using Eri silk 60/2 to weave yourself a delicate looking, sturdy, silk fabric for multiple uses.

Want to feel Eri silk before committing to buy? Click here to receive a free sample.

Last week at Muezart

  1. Our favorite & beautiful traditional shawls made by our women weavers. Wanna see them?
  2. How we got started with natural dyes?
  3. "Thank you for your kind words. I will be traveling to India in January and am so looking forward to seeing all the amazing makers and textiles." - Janis Embleton

Have a nice day.
Vilasini, Storyteller @Muezart


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