Hide Club
Bark-tanning Program
October 14 to November 13
Hide Club is a detailed, live + recorded, online program
We translate hide tanning to at-home practice - in your kitchen and backyard. You tan hides into leathers + fur rugs with real-time instruction, group guidance, plus an online resource space + a group chat. You learn from home, with an online crew of other tanner-learners who’ve got your back.
The online resource space with videos + written recipes is open for 12 months. Join us live or go at your own pace through the recordings - most people do a mix of both!
This Fall is Hide Club: MINI
Our classic Bark-tanning Program in four weeks.
With Guest Speaker: Ariss Grutter from Awl Together Leather
How it works:
Sign up + get immediate access to the online resource space
(learn all about bark-tanning)
Harvest 10 lbs of your own bark or 5lb of tannin extract
(we have vetted suppliers)
Wait for your Hide Club Welcome Kit from Fern + Roe to arrive
(Kit included in cost; shipping + duties extra)
Use code NOKIT at check-out to BYO-hides + get a $100 discount
WHAT IT’S LIKE INSIDE HIDE CLUB:
Meet 2x a week on Zoom
Real time instruction + recordings
Tan two hides:
fur-on rabbit or micro sheepskin
full-grain (hair off) leather
An online resource space for videos, written instruction, and recipes
Access to the legendary Hide Club chat (WhatsApp)
Hide Club Online BARK-TANNING Program
October 14 to November 13, 2025
Tuesdays + Thursdays | 4:30pm-6:30pm Pacific Time
About the Bark-tanning 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:
Sign up here Tuesday, September 9th
Get your kit in the mail (kit included in cost - shipping + duties extra). Use code NOKIT to BYO kit and get a $100 discount.
Harvest or purchase your tannins.
Beginners: we have guidance for you in our online space.
How to Make the Most of the Club:
Get our recommended hide tanning tools
Catch calls live or watch recordings
Carve out time in your calendar + make it your hide time
Our Sponsorship Program is Back:
After a 6-month hiatus during which we consulted with mentors, we are happy to again offer the Sponsorship Program for Indigenous learners.
Please click here if you are an Indigenous learner seeking free or discounted education.
Click here to donate to the sponsorship program.
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 in
Hide Club: MINI
The Bark-tanning Program
First hide: Tanner’s Choice
Rabbitskin Fur Leather or Micro Sheepskin
Hair-on, supple craft detail for mittens, clothes; or a seat cushion
Second hide: Tanner’s Choice
Full-grain Leather or Grain-off leather
Hair-off, flexible craft leather for bags, wallets, harnesses.
Returning Hide Club Members: you are welcome to tan two hides at once in both methods, for a challenge. BYO hides or source more from us.
Ariss is a co-founder of Awl Together Leather, East Vancouver's custom leatherwork and shoe repair studio. Their knowledge covers a wide scope of leather work including bespoke manufacturing, cobbling, cordwaining, alreations, upholstery and more. Ariss is non-binary, white (of South African - German/Dutch ancestry), and an energetic birder.
Guest Drop-in Topic:
Professional Leatherwork - Tools and Techniques to Create Well-Finished Items
From Ariss:
Get empowered to turn your hides into finished products. Learn about the basic tools that make up any home leatherworking kit, and their professional counterparts in a behind-the-scenes peek of a shoe repair studio. We'll cover the basic steps to make your first leather project, common mistakes to avoid, and advanced techniques to elevate your leatherwork into professionally finished projects. Be prepared to practise hand-skiving and brianstorm ideas for projects based on leather types.
See their work at www.awltogetherleather.ca
Our Schedule
Tuesdays + Thursdays
4:30pm to 6:30pm PT
Tuesday, October 14:
Acidify (pickle) rabbit + buck sheep/goat/deer
Thursday, October 16:
Make bark-liquor
Tuesday, October 21:
Bark-liquor large hide
Thursday, October 23:
Scud rabbit + strengthen large hide
Tuesday, October 28:
Scud large hide
Thursday, October 30:
Finalize rabbit leather
Tuesday, November 4:
*Start time 5:30pm - Guest Speaker Ariss Grutter from Awl Together Leather: how to use leather tools + do leather crafting
Thursday, November 6:
BREAK
Tuesday, November 11:
Remove large hide from bark-liquor
Thursday, November 13:
Oil + dry large leather
It’s not just the skill of hide tanning you grow with each hide you tan.
It’s capableness from within, that no one can take away.
It’s the Action of Hope in a Breaking World.
It’s the persistence we need to keep building, together.
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
I’m In!
Join here + see you October 14
Join Hide Club: MINI's Bark-tanning Program here. Your next step: check your email for details + sign back here to access the online space.