Flax & Linen 2026 Symposium
About the Flax & Linen 2026 Symposium
Attention linen enthusiasts! Join us at the National Museum of the American Coverlet in Bedford, PA for a 3-day exploration of flax and linen. The symposium will offer workshops, demonstrations and presentations with participation from flax & linen experts including Cassie Dickson, Andrea Myklebust, Cindy Conner, Brenda Page, Michelle Parrish, Gina Gerhard, Ron Walter, and museum director Melinda Zongor.
• The symposium starts on Friday with an optional day of hands-on workshops, such as flax processing, distaff dressing, flax spinning methods, tape loom weaving, natural dyeing for cellulose fibers, and guided tour of the museum's gallery exhibits.
• Saturday and Sunday will feature presentations and rotating hands-on sessions covering: preparing for planting, flax seed varieties, retting methods, sustainable fiber movements & hemp initiatives, expert linen weaving techniques and tips for success, how to use your handspun, flax papermaking, warp-weighted loom demo with linen sailcloth, and making your own flax tools.
• Friday and Saturday evenings will feature a social gathering with group spin-in, meet the experts, textile identification, resources table, and ample time to shop our Marketplace featuring linen-related items, such as spinning wheels, tools, supplies, books and more.
We can only accommodate 80 in-person registrants -- so the event will fill up quickly! If registration is full or you are unable to attend in person, we are offering a 'virtual' option with recordings from all 3 days available for viewing after the event. We are grateful to our sponsor, the Southeast Arts Alliance, for providing technical services and support to make this virtual option available.
We hope you join us - either in person or virtually!
For full details on the Symposium, visit flaxandlinen2026.org.
Event Schedule
FRIDAY
Hands-on workshops 8:30 am-9 pm
• Flax processing
• Distaffs
• Flax Spinning Methods
• Tape Loom Weaving
• Natural Dyeing for Cellulose Fibers
• Guided Gallery Tour
• Evening Social Gathering/Spin-in
• Marketplace
SATURDAY
Program 8:30 am - 9 pm
• Preparing for Planting & Growing Flax Varieties
• Retting it Right
• Hemp & Sustainable Initiatives
• Flax Paper (workshop)
• Warp-Weighted Loom Demo w/Linen Sailcloth
• Making Flax Tools
• Evening Social Gathering/Spin-in
• Marketplace shopping
SUNDAY
Program 8:30 am - 2 pm
• Mastering Linen Weaving
• Weaving Techniques/Tips/Problem-Solving
• Finishing the Cloth
• Linen Stamps & Inks
• Analysis & Documentation of Linens
• Using your Handspun
PROGRAM CLOSES 2 PM
• Last-Chance Marketplace shopping
⏰ Enrollment opens on Friday, May 1st, at 7 pm ET
When
Friday, August 21, 2026; Saturday and Sunday, August 22-23, 2026.
Registration Fees
IN-PERSON
• Saturday & Sunday Symposium with Friday workshops: $475
• Saturday & Sunday Symposium: $300
Fee includes light breakfast, lunch, material fees, evening program. Friday workshops only available to Symposium registrants.
VIRTUAL OPTION
$150 (recordings available until July 1 2027)
Choose your enrollment option on the dropdown menu below.
Cancellation Policy
IN-PERSON
If you need to cancel, please notify us by August 1st to receive a full refund (minus a $50 fee). Cancellations made after this date are not refundable.
VIRTUAL
Full refund if you cancel prior to viewing recordings.
SEFAA
SEFAA encourages and celebrates creativity one thread at a time by cultivating a vibrant regional fiber arts community while celebrating, supporting, and perpetuating all textile art forms. We exist to be your textile resource. We thrive by empowering you to reach your creative potential.
About Lessonface, PBC
Lessonface's mission is to help students achieve their goals while treating teachers equitably. Since 2012, we've hosted more than 30,000 students and 2,000 teachers for over 500,000 music, language, and arts lessons and classes online.