Sheep Hide Tanning Workshop

Dates: July 24- July 26

Times: 

Friday, July 24: 12pm-5pm
Saturday, July 25: 8am-5pm
Sunday, July 26: 8am-1pm

Cost: Full cost of class is $900, equity pricing from $650.
Class size: Limited to 8 people, register early to avoid disappointment.

Location: Hopland Research and Extension Center, Hopland, CA.

Workshop Description:

Join HREC and Tamar Ingber for a 3-day workshop to create your own sheep hide.
In this small class (limited to 8) we will learn alongside each other through visual demonstrations of each step of the process, hands on practice, team support and a written hide guide.
We will start with salted sheep hides and use the oldest method of tanning - fat and smoke - to transform an animal skin into hair-on leather.

We will each transform a sheep hide in our 3 shared days: 

1. Scrape & Suds
2. Fat & Stretch

3. Cut & Smoke

   Each participant will go home with a finished sheep hide, and an appreciation for this transformative process.

Meet the Instructor: Tamar Ingber

Tamar has been hide-tanning as a practice since 2020, with a focus on small ruminants. She has worked with a variety of ranches, using both egg/smoke and tannin-bath methods, to produce beautiful hides. She is passionate about sharing the process of transformation from a raw pelt into a sustainable material for our lives. She loves this process and is grateful to share this ancestral skill in community.

Tamar's Hide Resume: 

• Tanned over 60+ sheep hides from Monkey Flower Ranch, Hidden Villa, Barinaga Ranch, Barta Hides, Superior Farms and Perennial Grazing.
• Tanned 5 goat hides from Pie Ranch’s herd including: hair-off leather, a community hide with Amah Mutsun Stewards and farm staff, and hair-on leather for an entry bench.
• Instructed 12 hide tanning courses.

Provided:

• Sheep hides. You will take home your tanned hide.
• All tools and materials to complete the process of tanning one hide per participant.
• Snacks and drinks.

Please bring: 

• Meals are not included, please bring a packed lunch for each day and any additional snacks/drinks you might enjoy.
• Accommodation is not provided, low-cost shared bunkhouse or camping is available for $20 per person/night. Please indicate in the registration survey if you are interested in accommodation.

Weather: 
The class will be conducted outside, which might be in high heat over 100F during the hottest part of the day. The heat supports the process, water and cooling areas will be provided throughout the class for participants.