Text has been used historically in art to communicate ideas or information, with more or less emphasis on imagery. Language has performed a variety of functions in textiles. The Bayeux Tapestry, which has Latin narrative along its borders, tells the story of the invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Early Navajo weavers used letters and numbers in their pictorial blankets and rugs as design elements, not to convey any particular message. Text has been important in the contemporary textile movement, which began in the early 1960s. The work of Janet Malotky, Thomasin Grim, D.R. Wagner, Sharon Marcus, and other fiber artists who use text in their designs is reviewed.