Sheepskin Tanning Workshop

4 - day Sheepskin Tanning Workshop

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Thursday August 21st - Sunday August 24th

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9-5pm (or until finished)

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Dryden, NY - exact location upon registration

 

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In this 4-day workshop, we will be honoring one of the many gifts of

our local, domesticated sheep-- the gift of their skin.

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Unfortunately, our relationship with these sheep does not begin until their hides have been

salvaged from local butchers (who often discard hides into a compost heap),

or directly from local sheep farmers.

I fleshed & salt or dry preserve the hides until their time arrives to tan. 

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This workshop will focus on combining two different tanning methods

- mineral & smoke -

to gain the benefits of both methods on these beautiful sheepskins.

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The finished sheepskins will be water/humidity resistant, repel rodents & bugs (who'd destroy the hides),

and with your persistent effort be soft & subtle to be used for a beautifully finished rug or even clothing.

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This workshop will be held entirely outside, which means the weather will be a factor impacting the sheepskins.

The length and flow of this workshop was created with the intention of accommodating the weather.

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Dates and flow of the program:

Thursday August 21st -- General overview of sheepskin tanning & hands-on tanning work: washing, fleshing/wet scraping, framing and opening up the sheepskin.

Friday, August 22nd -- Hands-on tanning work: Dry scraping, pumicing & combing/cleaning the wool, preparing the smoker & smoking sheepskins

Saturday, August 23rd --Hands-on tanning work: Finish smoking sheepskins, hand softening 

Sunday, August 24th -- Hand softening and wrapping up!

 

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Come join us at this beautifully gratifying community practice to continue to preserve such a rewarding and connective skill! 

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$400-500 slide scale per participant (trade/barter options available). 

$100 non-refundable deposit due upon registration. Deposit goes towards the full cost of the program. 

Remaining payment due first day of program.

 

Disclaimer: Hide tanning is physically (and often emotionally) hard and sometimes smelly work! This skill requires patience, persistence, and self-care, which is why this program has been split over two weeks! We will be working in a deeply heart-centered, intentional and held way, where I will pass along my personal rituals around animal processing.  My intention is to make sure everyone feels safe as this process is for your learning.   Taking a break to stretch and move your body, root yourself in the Earth, and step away is always welcome.  These hides were all sourced from local sheep farmers.

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In honor & acknowledgement of reciprocity and the converging lineages of ancestral earth living skills, 10% of the proceeds of my adult workshops are donated to local BIPOC led organizations dedicated to reconciliation and reparation efforts.