1 in-person day, plus a 2 hour zoom call.

A perfect introduction to whole animal processing! Come learn a whole lot of skills with us as we transform small roadkill critters into soft, supple leather.

Small animal furs like squirrel, chipmunk, mink, and others have a long history of being highly prized by European and Scandinavian cultures. They are found in clothing, bags, ornamentation, and were so important that they were buried with the dead. Many of us have a deep ancestral link the these animals and the leathers they provide.

Unfortunately, there are thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of animals killed by cars every day, and most of them are left to rot on the pavement. Once you learn the skills of how to assess and process roadkill, there is an endless stream of animals that we can tend to and honor by turning them into beauty.

In this class, each student will receive a whole, frozen/defrosted small animal (squirrels, a chipmunk, and a weasel are available).

TOPICS COVERED

• roadkill 101 - assessing freshness and viability, transporting, and storing

• skinning

• gutting and exploration of the myriad uses of the bounty inside

• butchering (when applicable)

• hide storage

• fleshing

• bark tanning, including pickling to ensure the integrity of the fur

• finishing (oiling, slicking, softening)

• bone cleaning

• show and tell of the many uses of tanned leather, bones in jewelry and art, and other strange and wonderful animal technologies

CLASS SCHEDULE

Saturday August 15th

‍ ‍9 am - Class begins. Introductions, roadkill 101, skinning, gutting, and butchering

‍ ‍12 ish - lunch

‍ ‍1 -530 - continuing animal processing, including fleshing the hide, mixing the pickle, mixing the bark tan solution

By the end of Saturday, each student will have their hide in a pickle solution, and will leave with a batch of bark tan solution to complete the tanning at home.

Tuesday August 18th

‍ ‍Follow up email to guide students through the next steps of bark tanning.

Saturday August 29th

‍ ‍2 Hour zoom call to guide students through the finishing of their bark tanned hide.

TUITION

Sliding Scale $250-350 (for squirrel and chipmunk)

Sliding Scale $285-385 (for weasel)

A non refundable deposit of half the tuition is required to hold your spot, payable through Venmo @x_sonikspike_x

Please note that the animals are very limited and are offered on a first come first served basis.

Please pay the deposit and email us here to register:

Gatheringwaysschool@gmail.com