With the goal of celebrating the fiber arts projects of both beginners and professionals, the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show, occurring on March 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and March 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will exhibit over 200 quilts, along with hosting workshops for all skill levels.

During her freshman year, amid the commotion of navigating a new school, senior Kate Proctor said she found solace in an art classroom, stitching away. 

“I would put in my podcast—other people would watch shows or listen to music—and just do my project” Proctor said. “It was so calming, like a nice break during the day.”

Four years removed from taking that initial fiber arts class, and Proctor said she has returned to crocheting, knitting and cross-stitching often in order to lower stress. Proctor said the “independentness” of fiber arts makes it so freeing. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 31.9% of adolescents have an anxiety disorder. Creative expression allows young people to distract themselves and relax, as well as externalize worries through color, texture and form. 

“(You are taught) a skill, and then you go and make a project that’s like your own— obviously I got to choose what project I made” Proctor said. “I had to like do certain like embroidery stitches or have a certain amount of (a material), but you get to choose what project you’re doing.” 

Similar to Proctor, Lily Flint, sophomore and fiber art student, said once you overcome the challenges of learning techniques, there are no limits to what you can create. 

“We have a lot of freedoms in our fiber arts projects,” Flint said. We have to use the same technique but can make anything we want within that and even incorporate other techniques.”

As a result, Proctor said she took inspiration from several areas in her life. 

“I tried to like put things that I like into it; like my favorite animal is a jellyfish, so I was like, ‘Can I make a jellyfish?’ And it was like, ‘Yeah, I can,’ and it’s (my favorite color) purple,” Proctor said. “A lot of things I do is like flowers (or) butterflies since I’m a very nature-oriented person.”

Flint said she also drew from a variety of her interests, including her favorite characters and love of nature. 

“(I create) random things I like such as Snoopy, butterflies and Rapunzel,” she said. 

Fiber arts teacher Christopher Kuhne said he has seen students express themselves in a variety of ways. According to Kuhne, students’ development over the course of high school is manifested through their artwork. 

“I’ve seen so many kids over the course of my career go from being timid freshmen who are unfamiliar and just learning the ropes, to doing some of the best high school work I’ve ever seen,” Kuhne said. “Especially with fiber arts, it’s really cool for me to see someone come in, and they don’t know how to crochet or knit or anything, and then go from that to knitting their own sweater, (or doing) something that they thought ‘I could never do this.’”

For Proctor, fiber arts is an opportunity to open herself up to new challenges and test her ability to execute your ideas. 

“Not being stubborn—like not giving up and working through something because a lot of times, especially with crocheting or knitting, you mess up one thing and it’s really frustrating or you mess up the tension and the whole project looks a little funky—but it’s your first time, how are you ever supposed to know that?” Proctor said. “Just messing up one thing and getting angry and like wanting to give up. If something’s hard, don’t just give up. You can keep going and you get through it. We don’t have enough of that. People give up too easily.” 

Ultimately, Kuhne said he agreed and said he hopes fiber arts can foster resilience in other areas of a student’s life. 

“The greatest hope that I could have from my class, because as much as I believe in fiber arts, it’s infinitely more important to see that that transcends just fiber arts” Kuhne said. “(Is) that you will try things that initially don’t make sense. You push through and find you’re capable of so much more than you think you are. I think even more than confidence; it’s just persistence. The ability to, even when things get difficult or not as fun and rewarding, to push through that. That’s when the most rewarding things happen, is when you get through to the other side.”