News

Online Registration for Fiber Arts Seminars and Family Activities

Posted: February 11, 2017

Online registration for Fiber Arts Seminars and Family Activities opened on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 2:00 pm EST.

Again this year, in the interest of allowing as many people as possible access to classes, you will be limited to one ticket per class in the Fiber Arts Seminars.

Reminder: Registrations will be processed on a first come, first served basis, until classes are filled. Registration will remain open until the night before the class is scheduled, or the class is filled, whichever comes first.

We are using Eventbrite as our online registration mechanism again this year. You can access our Eventbrite online registration page at https://mswf2020.eventbrite.com.

Helpful Hints:

Click on the green “Tickets” button and scroll down through the list to select the class(es) you want. You may want to check in advance and make sure there aren’t any browser issues that prevent you from seeing the button and accessing the list.
Eventbrite has a 15 minute time limit to complete your order, so you might want to read through the class descriptions here on the website first and figure out what you want to take before heading over to Eventbrite.
To save time at checkout, set up an Eventbrite profile in advance so that information on your checkout page can be pre-filled. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/ and click on “Sign Up”. If you did this last year, you do not need to do it again — just make sure you know your password!
If you have not completed your registration at the end of 15 minutes, the reservation they are holding will be released for others to purchase.
Because catalogs are mailed, and can be sent to someone other than yourself, we have to collect both a billing address and a shipping address. Unfortunately, this also applies to all items purchased, including classes. If you are purchasing tickets for multiple classes, please make note of the handy “Copy data from” drop-down on the second and all subsequent tickets which will allow you to quickly copy the shipping address from the first ticket without having to retype it each time.

Cover Art Competition Remains On Hiatus

Posted: June 27, 2019

We are planning to commission a work again this year so the cover art competition will remain on hiatus for 2020.

Fun Facts About 2019

Posted: June 4, 2019

We estimate weekend attendance between 15,300-18,500 people.
Attendance on Saturday was almost exactly the same as last year.
Rain on Sunday (including a flash flood watch) definitely kept some folks home.
There were 631 sheep entered in the sheep shows with 55 more sheep in the Breed Display barn.
The Fleece Show & Sale had 911 fleeces entered by 173 exhibitors from 17 states, representing 36 different breeds of sheep. About 46-47,000 pounds of wool changed hands in the sale, with 343 buyers from 31 states + Canada taking home fleeces.
The Skein & Garment Competition had 278 entries in the form of yarn and finished articles from 106 different exhibitors.
Almost 800 students participated in our Fiber Arts Workshops.

Thank you for helping make 2019 great!

Posted: May 15, 2017

We hope you enjoyed the 2019 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, our 46^th annual celebration of sheep and wool and the many related activities that they inspire and enable. We could not have done without all the shepherds, vendors, fiber artists, sheep and wool equipment crafters, festival visitors and most importantly committee members and volunteers that make up this awesome community; we tip our hats to you all!

Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s Festival on May 2 & 3!

In Peace,

Gwen Handler, Chairman, Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

Lee Langstaff, President, Maryland Sheep Breeders Association

Volunteers needed!

Posted: April 16, 2015

The Festival would not be possible without the support of hundreds of community volunteers, and we still have many slots to be filled! Visit one of our SignUpGenius pages to sign up today!

General Volunteers (lots of slots open for recycling volunteers!)

T-Shirt Building Volunteers (critically needed for Saturday and Sunday afternoon!)

Volunteers for Saturday Dinner/Sunday Breakfast (includes free meal!)

Everyone who volunteers gets a volunteer shirt, a unique souvenir which is NOT available to the general public!

Everyone who volunteers in advance to work Festival weekend receives free admission to the Festival!

Purchase tickets, order a catalog or register for Fiber Arts Workshops

Posted: February 10, 2019

We are open for business! You can now access our Eventbrite online registration page at https://mswf2019.eventbrite.com to take care of the following:

Purchase Festival tickets
Order a 2019 catalog. Order now so it can be included in the first mailing in mid-March!
Register for Fiber Arts Workshops and Family Activities

More Information on Fiber Arts Workshops

We are working on adding the 2019 Workshops to the website. In the meantime, they are available in pdf format here.

Again this year, in the interest of allowing as many people as possible access to classes, you will be limited to one ticket per class.

Policy Change: This year, materials fees (if any) will be collected when you register.

Click here for Helpful Hints.

Cover Art Competition On Hiatus

Posted: October 8, 2018

The covert art competition is on hiatus for 2019. Watch for an announcement about a special work we are commissioning!

Maryland Shepherds Cup

Posted: February 13, 2018

The purpose of this award is to recognize consistent excellence in the production of handspinning fleeces by wool producers in Maryland. The winner will be judged to have entered the best set of five handspinning fleeces from an individual Maryland shepherd. The Maryland Shepherds Cup is offered in remembrance of Mary Ann Jackson, shepherd at Spinning Flock Farm. Mary Ann was a long-time supporter and active member of the Festival Committee and MSBA. As well as being named 2006 Maryland Shepherd of the Year with her husband Ed, MaryAnn initiated the fiber arts and shepherd workshops at the Festival, taught innumerable beginning spinners and weavers, and was a tireless supporter of textile arts.

The award will include a perpetual trophy inscribed with the name of each year’s winner plus a $100 prize.

Guidelines for Entering

Maryland shepherds will designate five handspinning fleeces that best represent their flock and breeding program goals. The fleeces must be from sheep belonging to the shepherd entering them and the farm must be in Maryland.
All five fleeces must also be individually entered in the appropriate Division and Class for Show and Sale.
Check appropriate box on entry form to be included in MD Shepherd’s Cup competition.
The Entry must be accompanied by a brief paragraph (no more than 80 words) describing the goals of the shepherd/producer that are represented by their five selected fleeces. This is to acknowledge that different shepherds may have different goals. Examples might include: Perfectly matched fleeces (in color, character, quality); specific breed character; natural colors; or variety of fleece types, etc.
Only one entry (of 5 fleeces) for the Shepherds Cup per individual shepherd’s flock.

Registration for our 2021 Fiber Arts Seminars is now open!

Posted: December 5, 2020

Registration for our 2021 Fiber Arts Seminars is now open at https://www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool.

Classes will be taught via Zoom, and all you need is a computer or tablet with a webcam that is connected to reliable high-speed Internet. Topics include crochet, dyeing, ecoprinting, felting, knitting, spinning, and weaving. Most classes are two or three hours long; there are several classes that consist of two two- or three-hour sessions with a break in between; there is one two-day class which has two sessions each day.

A downloadable version of the class descriptions is available here.

We will once again be accepting ONLY online registrations. We will not be using Eventbrite for registrations this year. Instead, we will be using the Lessonface platform for both registration and access to the online classes.

Materials kits are required for some classes. These kits will be purchased directly from the instructor. Ordering instructions will be available in Lessonface once you have enrolled. To allow enough time for the kits to arrive prior to the start of class, registration for those classes requiring materials kits will close on April 3. For all other classes, registration will remain open until the class starts or the class is filled, whichever comes first.

If a class is full and you want to be added to the waitlist, this year you just click the “Join Waitlist” link on the class page in Lessonface. Easy!

Your first point of contact if you encounter any problems with the registration process should be Lessonface themselves. They are are available seven days a week. Specific questions about the classes should be sent to moc.l1784006117iamg@1784006117srani1784006117mesws1784006117dm1784006117.

2020 Catalog Cover Artist

Posted: February 28, 2020

Bobby Rosenstock

Bobby is the owner of JustAJar Design Press, a letterpress & design studio in Marietta, Ohio. Bobby has a BAFA in Painting & Printmaking from Alfred University in New York and a MFA in Printmaking & Book Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He started JustAJar in his garage in 2009 and has grown the business into a successful letterpress & design studio located in downtown Marietta. They specialize in custom woodcut posters, all meticulously hand carved and manually printed, the old fashioned way, using antique presses. JustAJar has created official woodcut posters for musicians like Willie Nelson, John Prine, Gillian Welch, and Soundgarden. JustAJar was awarded the National Addy awards gold medal for best poster campaign in 2018 for their annual poster series created for the Jack Daniel’s Barbecue World Championship. The JustAJar studio and retail shop in downtown Marietta is open to the public.