Spend the weekend—or spend a day—with fiber artists from around the world at MAFA 2025
MAFA 2025 is not only about the weekend-long workshops and shopping in the Marketplace. Other highlights will include:
- MAFA 2025 Schedule
- Opening Session, Fashion Show, and Keynote Address
- Fashion, Textiles, Fiber Art, and Towel Exchange Exhibits
- Free Your Mind Interactive Exhibit
- Friday Evening in the Marketplace – Shop ’til you Drop, Book Signing, Door Prizes
- Maker Meetup in the Marketplace – Friday and Saturday
- Open Studio Tour
- Yoga For Crafters
- Morning Coffee
- Commuters & Informal Get Togethers
- Downtime
For members of the public: The Marketplace and Exhibits are open to the public. In addition, you are welcome to attend the Open Studio Tour on Saturday evening to see examples of the work that has been done over the weekend.
Stay-over option for Overnighters: Day trippers not taking workshops, and who don’t want to drive home after a day of fiber activities, may register for Friday and/or Saturday night stays. Click HERE for costs and more detailed information. Those who can’t attend the full weekend are encouraged to volunteer to help the vendors or to monitor the exhibits during open hours.
Weekend classes
Find the Marketplace vendor list and demonstrations schedule here.
MAFA 2025 Schedule
Download the schedule HERE. (We’ll have a downloadable schedule shortly before the conference)
** Open to the public
Day | Time | Event | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Thursday, June 26 | |||
Noon - 6:00 p.m. | Check-in at Registration, Submissions accepted for fashion, textile, fiber art, and towel exhibits, Move in to dorms and classrooms | The Marketplace. 'Ville Courts, Student Memorial Center (SMC) | |
Noon - 6:00 p.m. | Marketplace Open** | The Marketplace, SMC | |
5:30 p.m - 7:00 p.m. | Dinner | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
7:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Opening Session, Keynote Address, and Fashion Show Supported by Heddlecraft | Reighard Multipurpose Room, SMC | |
8:30 p.m. - 10 :00 p.m. | Dessert Reception Supported by Yadkin Valley Fiber Center | The Galley, SMC | |
Friday, June 27 | |||
6:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Morning Coffee Supported by Frances Irwin Handweavers | West Dorm Lobbies | |
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
8:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. | WARP (Weave a Real Peace) meeting** | Atrium, SMC | |
9:00 a.m - 12 noon | Workshops | Classroom buildings, SMC | |
Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Lunch | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
Noon - 9:00 p.m. | Marketplace and Exhibits Open** | The Marketplace, SMC | |
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops | ||
5:00 - 5:15 p.m. | Yoga Break Supported by Sunnyside Weavers | Atrium, SMC | |
5:15 - 5:30 p.m. | Yoga Break | Atrium, SMC | |
5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | MAFA Grants Q&A Session** | Atrium, SMC | |
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Dinner | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Shop 'til You Drop** - shopping, vendor demos, door prize winners announced | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Fashion Exhibit** Supported by Long Thread Media | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Hands On: The Art of Making Fiber Art Exhibit** Supported by Central Virginia Fiberarts Guild | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Mad Hatter Hats Exhibit** | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Kitchen Towel Exhibit** Supported by Long Thread Media | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Free Your Mind Interactive Exhibit** with Theda Sandiford Supported by Touchstone Center for Crafts | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Book Signings** | The Marketplace, SMC | |
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Spinning Games hosted by Tom Knisely | The Marketplace, SMC | |
8:45 p.m. | Viewers' Choice awards announced for Exhibits; Tuition Door Prize winners announced** | The Marketplace, SMC | |
Saturday, June 28 | |||
6:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Morning Coffee Supported by Potomac Fiber Arts Guild | West Dorm Lobbies | |
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | MAFA Representatives Breakfast | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
9:00 a.m - 12 noon | Workshops | ||
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Marketplace and Exhibits Open, Vendor Demos** | The Marketplace, SMC | |
Noon- 1:30 p.m. | Lunch | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops | ||
5:00 p.m. | Kitchen Towel Exchange Sponsored by Long Thread Media | The Marketplace, SMC | |
5:00 - 5:15 p.m. | Yoga Break Supported by The Fuzzy Ear | Atrium, SMC | |
5:15 - 5:30 p.m. | Yoga Break | Atrium, SMC | |
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Dinner | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Open Studio Self-guided Tour ** | Breidenstine, Hash, Luek, McComsey, SMC | |
9:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. | Pick up fashion, art, and hat exhibit entries | The Marketplace, SMC | |
Sunday, June 29 | |||
6:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Morning Coffee Supported by Handweavers of Bucks County | West Dorm Lobbies | |
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast | Upper Deck, Gordinier Hall | |
8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. | Pick up Box Lunches | Lobby, Gordinier Hall | |
7:30 a.m - 9:00 a.m. | Early Dorm Checkout | West Village Dorm | |
9:00 a.m. - 12 noon | Workshops | ||
Noon - 2:00 p.m. | Check Out of Dorms & End of Conference | West Village Dorm |
MAFA 2025 Special Events
Opening Session, Fashion Show, Keynote Address with Suzi Ballenger on The Rhythm of Making: Observation, Inspiration, and Creativity
Sponsored by Heddlecraft
Join us to kick off the 2025 Conference! We will have the Fashion Show of selected pieces from the Spotlight on Fashion Exhibit, and a keynote address by fiber artist and teacher Suzi Ballenger.
The Opening Session will be followed by a dessert reception in The Galley, Supported by Yadkin Valley Fiber Center.
Fashion, Textile, Fiber Art, and Towel Exchange Exhibits
Join us for the fashion show and exhibit, fiber art exhibit, NEW non-wearables exhibit, and our ever-popular kitchen towel exchange. Exhibits will be open all day Friday and Saturday. Find info about all the exhibits and the towel exchange on the Exhibits and Exchange page.
Free Your Mind – Interactive Microaggressions Project and Exhibit
Supported by Touchstone Center for Crafts
Free Your Mind is a public textile art project aiming to collect, exhibit, embed and release personal narratives about microaggressions in a multi-sensory installation facilitated by artist Theda Sandiford. Find the exhibit on Friday and Saturday in the Marketplace. Details here.
Friday Evening in the Marketplace – Shop ’til you Drop, Book Signing, and entertainment
Shop ’til you Drop
On Friday evening the Marketplace is the place to be! Join us to visit your favorite vendors, see vendor demonstrations, check out the exhibits and music while you shop. We will announce the winners of door prizes, including gift certificates from MAFA 2023 vendors, and other fiber businesses, craft school tuition winners, as well as exhibit Viewers’ Choice awards.
Book Signing
Many of our instructors are authors! Have your favorite books signed in the Marketplace.
Sheep and Wool in Story and Song
Supported by Jockey Hollow Weavers Guild
Martha Owen and Melissa Weaver Dunning, accompanied by Martha’s banjo, will delight their audience with songs and tales of sheep and wool. Learn a waulking song, join in the chorus, or just listen and laugh at some crazy tales from Scotland, Ireland, and Appalachia.
Open Studio Tour, Saturday Evening
The self-guided Open Studio Tour takes place on Saturday evening and is an opportunity to see what has been happening in the other classes over the weekend. You can chat with the instructors, and get lots of great ideas for workshops for your guilds. In the past, many participants have been able to visit every studio, but as the conference has grown in size, it has become necessary to plan visits more carefully, recognizing that there simply won’t be time to see every single classroom. This event is open to the public as well as to members who can’t attend the full weekend. *New* this year we plan to record a tour of all the classrooms, and post it on our YouTube channel.
To organize your walkabout, check your conference tote for for a handy guide to workshop locations and room numbers and a campus map. Day trippers, pick up a list and map at the Info Desk in the Marketplace.
Yoga For Crafters, Friday and Saturday afternoons
Supported by Sunnyside Weavers and The Fuzzy Ear
No downward dog here! Craftsperson and yoga instructor (and MAFA instructor) Gigi Matthews will lead us through a gentle style of yoga where breathing is the foundation and the movements can be done from a seated position. Gigi will help us relax those tired muscles through movements that reduce the effects of prolonged sitting and neck stress, in late-afternoon sessions. Learn more about Gigi on her website. And here’s a teaser video from Gigi:
Morning Coffee in the Dorm, starting at 6:30 a.m.
Supported by Frances Irwin Handweavers Guild, Potomac Fiber Arts Guild, and Handweavers of Bucks County
Morning coffee will be an open, informal gathering time before classes. Grab your favorite cuppa in the West Dorm lobbies, and catch up with old friends and new.
Informal Get Togethers
Commuters and day trippers will find a lounge located in the SMC Atrium adjacent to the Student Information Desk and convenient to the Marketplace vendors and activities. There are also other meeting areas, including seating to the left of the Student Information Desk; and the large Galley area. And of course, there will be areas in the Marketplace for relaxing, chatting and spinning.
Help! There’s no downtime in the schedule!
There’s lots to do at the conference, so pace yourself. You may not be able to attend every gathering. That’s OK. Save some time for shopping, for sitting and chatting with old friends and new. This year we are adding a few special interest group gatherings. We wouldn’t expect anyone to attend them all!