Rabbit Hide Tanning with Mezzaluna Fibers

Learn to take a raw rabbit hide through the vegetable or bark tanning process to create a durable, garment-quality fur. Everyone will go home with their finished rabbit pelt and the skills to tan more small furs, which often get discarded, yet can make the warmest winter hats and mittens!

For this class we will be working with tanoak bark harvested in northern California by Traditional Tanners, but will also talk about tannin sources that can be harvested locally, as well as tannin extracts. This is a more laid-back tanning experience than buckskin or sheepskin tanning and can mostly be done sitting but does involve lots of repetitive hand/wrist movements and some finger dexterity.

All materials included. Participants should wear warm clothing that they don't mind getting a little messy.

This class will meet two consecutive Saturdays: October 12 + 19 from 12-3pm

By purchasing this 'product' you are reserving your seat. We will follow up with further details. Please provide the best email to send follow up directions + event specific outreach.

There is one full scholarship ticket reserved for someone whose housing/income was impacted by Helene. Please email us at hello@fiberhousecollective.com if you qualify.

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Facilitator:

Sarina Roscigno started tanning hides a little over a decade ago, when she raised her first batch of meat rabbits in a rented backyard in a dense neighborhood of Seattle. Eventually she moved to southern Appalachia, to a steep, rocky farmstead tucked in the mountains and began raising her own little flock of sheep. Following their lead, Sarina became besotted with the transformation of wet, slimy raw skin into an heirloom textile with the aid of natural, old techniques like smoke and tannins. It never stopped being magical, and started tanning for friends and fellow shepherds, taking classes from mentors to refine and improve my process, and has slowly scaled up to tanning full time.