Naturally Sufficient are excited to announce a unique collaboration with The Tannery Barr, bringing you an immersive weekend tanning workshop that blends traditional craftsmanship with modern sustainability practices. This workshop is designed for anyone interested in learning the ancient art of hide tanning, using eco-friendly methods to transform discarded hides into beautiful, lasting leather pieces. Over the course of the weekend, you’ll gain hands-on experience and invaluable knowledge.
What you’ll learn:
- The history and principles of hide tanning
- Techniques in skinning & caping a deer
- Selecting and preparing hides for tanning
- Natural and sustainable tanning methods
- Types of equipment to use
- Techniques for finishing and preserving tanned hides (each participant will get own hide to work with)
- Crafting leather goods from tanned hides
- Practical tips for caring for and maintaining your leather creations
- Myth buster + Q&A
- Take home your own finished deer hide at a heavily discounted price of $200
About the Instructor: Lachie Barr
Lachie Barr is the founder of The Tannery Barr, a venture that focuses on transforming ethically sourced hides into crafted items. His journey began with professional shooting across farms in Victoria, where he noticed that deer hides were often discarded after the animals were processed for meat. This observation led him to start tanning hides for friends and family, eventually developing a business around it.
Lachie Barr has been featured in various podcasts, such as the Hunting Connection Podcast as well as presented at ADA, where he shares his experiences and insights related to hunting and the tanning process. His work at The Tannery Barr emphasizes sustainability and respect for nature, as he aims to make use of every part of the animal and create lasting heirlooms from hides that would otherwise be wasted.
The course will start Friday night 7pm with meet & greet over casual drinks on our Flowerdale farm in Victoria. Then the workshop will officially kick off at 9am the next day and continue until Sunday afternoon around 4pm.
This is your opportunity to meet new friends while learning new skills. All food will be provided (breakfast, snack, lunch & dinner) with our farm fresh produce, with everyone involved in fun meal preparation. Participants are welcome to bring their own deer hide.
PS. The onsite workshop doesn’t include accommodation (which can be purchased at additional cost).
PSS. We are so confident of the training that if you’re not completely happy with the quality after the first half day segment, we will give a full money back guarantee.