Visual works, particularly works of art or high craft, that are created from textile materials, which are plant, animal, and synthetic fibers used in weaving, sewing, knitting, felting, knotting, etc. Textile art uses exclusively, or nearly exclusively, textiles as both the support and media, if any media are applied. Embroidery is a textile art, because the support is textile and also the material used to create the design is a textile. However, in another example, oil paintings are generally painted on canvas, which is a textile material: but oil paintings are not considered textile art because the medium is paint.

Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus

http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300386843