SHeepskin HIde Tanning
February 14-16, 2026 | North Saanich, Vancouver Island, BC
Turn a sheep hide into Your own Sheepskin Rug.
Be changed by the process of hide tanning.
Immerse in a three-day tactile experience on our quiet rural farm on Vancouver Island, BC. Learn the process of hide tanning: the original textile handicraft. Walk away with your hand-made, ethical sheepskin rug.
This course is for farmers, fibre workers, craftspeople, and anyone who wants to work with their hands in a guided setting - we provide all you need, you show up for the fun part.
Hide tanning is hard work and incredible reward. We take waste products from the farming industry + through grit + challenge over three days, we turn them into beautiful home adornments.
FEBRUARY SPECIAL: choose a white or brown fleece sheepskin
Black Friday Week SALE: Originally $444 just $333 for the hide tanning course plus free 3 nights of camping!
Hide Tanning is a skill
It’s also an embodiment practice.
I’m Mara and I will be your lead on this hide tanning course - affectionately known as a hide camp - where you’ll receive a fresh + prepared hide from us and turn it into natural, sustainable leather yourself. Even as a beginner, you’ll be the one to make it happen. You’ll leave hide camp with your own sheepskin rug, the knowledge to tan more hides, and unique lessons that three days of ancient movement + hard work brought to you.
I am thrilled to welcome new tanners into the craft + to see what you’ll make of hide tanning. Whether this will be your only hide that you tan and cherish forever, or whether this will become a craft you pursue, hide tanning is for everyone.
What You’ll Gain from this Hide Tanning course:
✔️ Transform a local farm-raised sheep hide into a plush + functional, leather sheepskin rug
✔️ Learn a time-honoured, land-based skill
✔️ Build physical strength + endurance
✔️ Leave with a finished sheepskin - made ethically by your hands
Special Offer:
Choose your sheepskin fleece colour
We rarely get the chance to offer this!
Choose from a Suffolk white fleece or a Romney brown fleece for your sheepskin.
After sign-up, you’ll have the chance to choose your sheepskin fleece colour. Choose from Classic White or Chocolate Brown, and you you arrive on hide camp day one, your sheepskin will be waiting for you.
Words from our hide tanning students
“I tried tanning on my own and never understood it. After coming to one of the hide courses, I understand the process, and what went wrong with my previous attempts.”
Dallas
“Mara’s gentle guidance made me feel at home in hide camp.”
Tahlia
“I tanned my first hide with Fern + Roe. I didn’t know how much depth there would be in the course, beyond just the hide tanning itself. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a serious retreat/getaway.”
Skylar
The Details
📍 Location: North Saanich, W̱SÁNEĆ Peninsula, BC
📅 Dates: Friday February 14 to Sunday, February 16, 2026
⏰ Schedule: 11am–4pm each day
💰 Investment: $444 CAD (in one or three payments) BLACK FRIDAY WEEK SALE just $333 plus free camping
🎁 One-time Special: Choose a white or brown sheepskin
All our hides are ethically sourced + re-routed from waste streams to co-create a resilient fibreshed.
All materials, tools, and equipment are provided.
$10 of your course investment goes toward the W̱SÁNEĆ Lands Trust to support Indigenous land-back.
The Hide Tanning Process
11am to 4pm daily
.Day One:
Choose your sheepskin. Find the one that calls to you.
Learn to work with a traditional hide frame; weave the hide into the frame
Use scrapers + dowels to begin drying the leather
Day Two:
Learn the science of mineral-tanning (alum-tawing), our hide tanning method for this course
Soften your sheepskin leather with softening + dry-scraping tools
Add the finishing work of pumicing + sanding your dried sheepskin leather
Day Three:
Clean + comb the wool of your sheepskin
Shape + cut the leather rug
FAQs
-
Anneth Farm in North Saanich, BC can be reach by:
Ferry
BC Ferries, Tsawassen to Swartz Bay
Mill Bay ferry, Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay
BlackBall ferry, Port Angeles to Victoria
Clipper ferry, Seattle to Victoria
Plane
Commercial jet to YYJ
Float plane to Patricia Bay or downtown Victoria (Inner Harbour)
-
We are 35 minutes north of Victoria, BC
-
Yes, we welcome everyone to camp at Anneth Farm. It is $24/night.
In addition, we have indoor accommodations available that change by season. For this course, you are welcome to book a private Farmhouse room for $150/night. Email us to enquire.
-
11am to 4:00pm