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.
Our next cohort is Hide Club: SPECIALIZED - Bark-tanning Intensive. September + October, 2024.
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:
Choose your sliding-scale tuition
Provide the items in the materials kit ~ Kit sales closed
Harvest or purchase your tannins. Details in our online space.
How to Make the Most of the Club:
Get our recommended tools. See here.
Catch calls live or watch recordings soon after
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
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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.
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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
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“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
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“Thank you again for creating and curating such a magical space and community.”
Katelyn K
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"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
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“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
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"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
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"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 thisNot sure? See more details here
FAQs
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Thursday sessions are 90-120 minutes. Saturday sessions are 120 minutes.
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Yes. Every call is recorded and available in our online space for one year after Hide Club ends.
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2 full-sized, salted hides
framing string + needle
Calx (lime powder)
leather oil
protective gloves
citric acid
salt
pH indicator liquid
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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
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
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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!
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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.