Course: Sheepskin Bark-Tanning- BYO Hide! (Late Summer)
$100 reserves your spot! Suggested course price of $625 (sliding scale $475-$775)
Do you have a freezer/ barn full of sheepskins that you want to tan but don't know how? This course is for you! I have had a few folks reach out to me asking if I could help teach them on their own hides, so I figured I offer this course. I am currently out of sheepskins to offer to learn on, but am very happy to teach you on your own hides!
Once upon a time, before the dawn of the plastic industry and chemical tanning, bark tanning (or veg tanning) was a thriving industry. This ancient art has been around since at least the bronze age, and showing up in different cultures around the world. Bark tanning is a process that uses the tannins in tree bark (or other high tannic plants) to create leather without the use of toxic chemicals. You are now invited to learn this ancient process from the shepherd and tanner of Withywindle Valley Farm, Carissa Miller.
This course will consist of three in person classes over the course of five weeks on the Withywindle Valley Farm in Nisqually Valley. By the end of the program you will walk away with your own mimosa bark-tanned sheepskin and the knowledge to tan your own hides. Each part of the process will be hands on and the class size will be small (4 people max) to allow plenty of time for questions and an intimate experience.
Our classes will be on August 21, September 11th, and September 18th 2025. Each class will be approximately 3-4 hours long and start at noon each Sunday. Please check in with Carissa if you have any specific accessibility needs and we will do our best to accommodate. All materials except sheepskin will be provided. Be ready to get your hands dirty and use some muscle!
In order to make this course's accisibility equitable, I am offering sliding scale pricing. Your $100 deposit will reserve your spot in the course. After signing up you will recieve an email with information on how to pay the remainder and allowing you to choose where on the sliding-scale you would like to pay.