Hi, I'm Rachel. This shop is named for how I tan animal skins - using soap and smoke.

I source skins from meat processors and small farms in my community. The skins are unwanted "byproducts" that would otherwise go in a landfill and I enjoy rescuing them. I used to tan skins from my own flock, but I don't keep sheep anymore.

I've adapted my tanning process from the traditional brain tan method - actually the only real difference is that I use soap & oil as my emulsified fat, instead of brain! This allows me to avoid exposing myself, the hides, and my home to potential animal brain pathogens. Soap and oil mimics the fatty, emollient brain solution used in brain tanning; it produces a white leather that darkens a bit after smoke-curing.

I make the soap myself from either beef or pig fat (also from the butcher!) that I render into tallow or lard.

My sheepskins are chrome/chromium free, which can't be said about cheap, commercially tanned skins. My prices reflect the hours of learning and labor that I put into this ancestral skill.

In addition to sheepskins in my shop, you might find, whole loaves of handmade tallow soap, cleaned animal skulls, herbal wellness products, and other seasonal offerings from my homestead.

If you want to learn more you can follow me on Instagram @farmer__rachel (2 underscores)