From Sheep to Felt: A Hands on Fiber Processing Experience

Wool has been a part of New England’s history for hundreds of years yet few people understand and appreciate how sheep are raised to produce high quality wool and how it is processed. In this workshop, participants will have hands-on opportunities to learn the process of taking wool freshly shorn from the sheep all the way to a finished product. The highlight of the workshop will be observing shearing some of the sheep that reside at Sanborn Mills Farm. The workshop culminates with each participant wet felting a small tote bag to take home.

We will learn from the shepherd at the farm and their sheep shearer, the secrets to producing high quality wool and observe sheep being shorn. Over the course of three days your instructor will walk you through the many steps of taking raw wool from the sheep shearing floor and turning it into a lovely felted project.

This hands-on workshop is perfect for anyone wanting to:

• step into a shepherd’s shoes for a few days and get their hands on some lovely wool
• gain a bigger picture of where wool comes from, the care involved in raising sheep with quality wool, and how raw fleeces are processed
• learn how to wash and card a raw fleece
• learn basic wet felting skills and go home with a small wool tote
• just hang out with some other sheep and wool loving people

No previous experience is necessary. Just a love of sheep and wool! Please note that skirting wool can leave your hands having lanolin on them and smelling like a sheep. You are welcome to dive in with your bare hands or bring along latex gloves to wear for this part of the workshop. Participants need to be aware that wet felting is a physical activity demanding upper body strength. Students should be prepared to work hard using their arms quite a bit during the felting process.

When students leave this workshop, they will have the knowledge and confidence to process raw wool at home. They will also have gained insight into the many steps involved in producing quality wool, starting with the shepherd and his/her care of the flock.

Skills and Techniques:

• Skirting wool – removing vegetation matter and manure tags
• Washing wool – dissolving lanolin in the wool and cleaning it
• Picking wool – opening the locks of wool
• Carding wool with a drum carder – organizing and aligning wool fibers
• Wet felting using a resist to create a three-dimensional small project
• Using Border Leicester curls to embellish a felted object

Materials Fee: $16 paid directly to the instructor. Breakdown is as follows: $6 for raw wool used in the workshop project plus $10 to cover the use of felting materials and consumables such as soap. Students may wish to purchase additional wool from SMF to take home. Cost will be $1 per oz.

Special Tools or Equipment to bring: One or two old towels, a pair of scissors, a glass washboard (If you have one), Comfortable clothes that can go home smelling like a sheep and comfortable shoes, latex gloves (optional). For biosecurity reasons, please wash the soles of your shoes with soap and water before coming to Sanborn Mills Farm since you will be near some of their sheep.

Workshop and Cancellation Policies: Please read our 2026 policies before registering for a workshop. https://www.sanbornmills.org/workshop-policies/