Hide Club

Bark-tanning Intensive

Welcome to Hide Club.

Hide Club is a comprehensive, live, online program. We translate hide tanning to at-home practice - in your kitchen, backyard, or wherever you set up your screen + scraping beam. You tan two full-size hides into leather + fur rugs with live group guidance plus an online resource space and a group chat. You learn along with a crew of other amazing tanner-learners who’ve got your back.

February-March is Hide Club: FOUNDATIONS. Building the roadmap to the craft.

May-June + September-October is Hide Club: SPECIALIZED. Honing in on the terrain deeper.

*

This is the sign-in page for members of our HC:S ~ Bark-tanning Edition, held live in Sept-Oct, 2024.
If you are a member of this cohort, you may sign in below to access the online space until September, 2025.

We are still accepting new cohort members! The live sessions are now closed. If you sign up now, you’ll have access to the online space with recordings, written notes, and a roadmap into two bark-tanning projects.

If you prefer to join a live version of Hide Club, the next program is Hide Club: SPECIALIZED ~ Smoke-tanning Edition in May-June, 2025. Link to registration coming soon.

Materials kit sales closed. New members welcome.

online rEsource space open for 12 months

WHAT IT’S LIKE INSIDE HIDE CLUB:

  • A weekly live + recorded call on Zoom

  • Real time instruction as we tan 2 full-sized hides

  • An online resource space + group chat

  • You make your own classic full-grain leather + leather sheepskin rug - and keep them forever

  • Join a group of students and teachers who all learn from each other.

  • Your questions, risks, experiments - and yes, mistakes - will turn into your confidence.

Hide Club: SPECIALIZED BARK-TANNING EDITION

September 5th to October 24th | Thursdays @ 4:30-6pm PT/7:30-9pm ET
MATERIALS KITS SALES CLOSED. NEW MEMBERS WELCOME (BYO hides).

ABOUT OUR METHOD:

Bark-tanning is one of the three natural hide tanning methods. Named for the most common source of plant tannins (bark), this method mixes tannins with animal hide + transforms that hide into leather. Bark-tanning creates the most durable, water-resistant, and strong tanned hides of any method.

The hide-work involved in Bark-tanning is in three parts:

  • First, making a tea with plants or bark to extract tannins. We call this “bark-liquor.”

  • Next, preparing our hides to receive + absorbs the tannins

  • Then, stewarding our hides as they mix with the bark-liquor; watching them transform to leather before our eyes.

In your Materials Kit, you receive hides salvaged by us at Fern + Roe. We re-route these hides from waste streams and bring them into the hands of tanners like you. Tannins you source yourself, either by self- harvesting or purchase (we have a list of recommended suppliers).

Bark-tanning is the true plant-based, ethical, and sustainable leather. In a world of misleading labels designed for mass consumption + petroleum dependence, Bark-tanning remains the authentic source of practicality and inspiration.

make hide tanning your own

How to Join:

  1. Choose your sliding-scale tuition

  2. Provide the items in the materials kit ~ Kit sales closed

  3. Harvest or purchase your tannins. Details in our online space.

How to Make the Most of the Club:

  1. Get our recommended tools. See here.

  2. Catch calls live or watch recordings soon after

  3. Carve out time in your calendar + make it your hide time

Returning Hide Club members:

Use code BACKAGAIN at checkout for 15% off your chosen tuition tier. Welcome back yall!

Our Schedule

Thursday sessions are 4:30-6pm PT | 7:30pm-9pm ET

Saturday sessions are 11am-12pm PT | 2pm-3pm ET

No Sunday Sessions this Hide Club

Thursday, Sept 5

Washing + acidifying fur hides

Saturday, Sept 7

Bark-liquoring + submerging hides

Thursday, Sept 12

Guest Speaker Janey Chang

Thursday, Sept 19

Scudding

Saturday, Sept 21

Framing fur leather + bucking next hide

Thursday, Sept 25

Combing fur leather
Guest Speaker Matt Richards

Thursday, Oct 3

Slipping hair + de-bucking

Saturday, Oct 5

Bark-liquoring + submerging hides

Thursday, Oct 10

Scudding

Thursday, Oct 17

Guest Speaker Daniel Stermac-Stein

Saturday, Oct 19

Finishing leather

Thursday, Oct 24

Closing: review + next steps

What you get in HIDE CLUB

  • You’ll know the natural chemistry underlying leather creation

  • You’ll learn the difference between tanning fur-on versus grain-on hides

  • You’ll be able to re-create the process at home long after the program ends

  • You’ll be a more knowledgeable, perceptive, and skillful tanner

what we’re tanning


  • Bark-tanning is the most durable natural tanning method ~ so you can take your sheepskin leather camping, turn it into a dog bed, or let your baby sleep on it + throw it in the washer machine as needed.


  • Classic leather is grain-on leather, with a shimmering surface + non-stretchy but pliable. We'll work with sheep and goat hide for a beginner-friendly project that will get you a material you can immediately craft with.

It’s not just the skill of hide tanning you grow with each hide you tan

It’s hands-on capableness. it’s connection to ancestry.

It’s community, it’s resilience.

words from hide club

  • “All I want to do is gush about how awesome it was and how much more there is to learn. I miss the gathering and all the check-ins."

    Renée-Lynn D

  • “Thank you again for creating and curating such a magical space and community.”

    Katelyn K

  • "For so many of us that are hide tanners, the feeling of magic, wonder, and restoration is palpable- this coursework is the inner knowing, made tangible."

    Emily M

  • “I have left the program feeling held, supported, witnessed, and celebrated by this particularly impressive and deeply kind and supportive community. I feel well resourced + more equipped emotionally, practically, and spiritually to engage in right relationship to this craft ."

    Marissa S

  • "Such a depth of knowledge from the teachers/mentors and peers alike. There are so many nuances captured in each of our hide practices."

    Jackson R

  • "The flow of the program was seamless - each session intentional and rich, with enough repetition and hands-on learning to gain confidence and learn quickly. Well done, really, what a successful transition to offering something so tactile online. I’m in awe!"

    Laura H

your sliding scale tuition

Flexibility for accessibility  

Tier 1

$199 USD

This price is for you if, for ex…

  • you struggle to meet necessities, such as paying rent

  • it would take 3+ months to save up for the next tier

  • Hide Club would be your main program investment for the year

Tier 2

$249 USD

This price is for you if, for ex…

  • you can meet your basic necessities, but are not yet building savings

  • it would take 3+ months to save up for the next tier

  • Hide Club is one of a small number of other programs you can invest in this year

Tier 3

$299 USD

This price is for you if, for ex…

  • you can meet your basic necessities and are building savings

  • you do not need to save up to join

  • Hide Club is one of several other programs you are investing in

Indigenous Sponsored Tuition

$0

This price is for you if, for ex…

  • you are part of a First Nation, Métis, or Inuit community

  • the tuition cost is a barrier to you


    Your materials kit is an out-of-pocket expense after this

    Not sure? See more details here

 FAQs

  • Thursday sessions are 90-120 minutes. Saturday sessions are 120 minutes.

  • Yes. Every call is recorded and available in our online space for one year after Hide Club ends.

    • 2 full-sized, salted hides

    • framing string + needle

    • Calx (lime powder)

    • leather oil

    • protective gloves

    • citric acid

    • salt

    • pH indicator liquid

    • the lumber for building your simple at-home equipment (we’ll give you a short list + directions on how to source it). two litres/quarts of white vinegar

    • a large (10-gal) soaking bin (ie Rubbermaid)

    • a standard 5- or 6-gal bucket

    • our recommended tools

    • 10-15 lbs of tannins - either harvest these yourself from trees with our instructions before September, or purchase them from our recommended suppliers or your own source. Details in the online space after registration.

    • you CAN bring your own hides, you are not required to purchase a materials kit

  • The main instructor is Mara Cur.

    Our tech artisan is Bonnie Klohn.

    We host guest speakers every year and we will have two speakers this cohort!

  • Yes, you can provide your own goat or sheep hides or a small deer. Hides for this cohort need to be around 3 ft in length and no more.