In a previous post, I showed you how to bark tan salmon skins. The result was an incredible patterned leather that is surprisingly strong. But what to do with all those skins? If you need ideas, Lotta Rahme's books have patterns for boots, hats, and other things. Today I'll show you how I made this nice wallet.

If you're lucky enough to have huge salmon skins you may be able to get all the material you need out of one skin. With the average size salmon I get from the store, I used two skins that I will stitch together.

The first step was to cut the skins to size. The finished closed wallet is 4 inches by 5 inches. I cut two rectangles. The one at the top was 3.25 inches by 9 inches. The one at the bottom was 4.25 inches by 9 inches and will wrap around the bottom of the wallet.
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I've posted a lot of buckskin projects on this blog over the years and I've done my best to give precise directions on how to put clothes together. However, I never demonstrated how to actually sew up all the buckskin pieces together. I think I've now remedied that with the following two videos.

In the first video I talk about how to handle buckskin in general.

Some years ago Rosalee wanted to get an iPod. Not being a big electronics fan myself I decided to make her a natural alternative, including an extensive User's Guide, which you can find below.

I hope you enjoy it.

Prim’ Pod™’s user guide, © 2009 Prim’ Techs®

I. Congratulations for acquiring a brand new Prim’ Pod™! Prim’ Techs® is proud to present you with its new device that will “Unlock the powers of your mind.”®

At Prim’ Techs® we work hard to satisfy your needs 100% sustainably.
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The sap is rising in the trees right now so it's the right time to gather bark for baskets. I just gathered some spruce bark for a folded bark basket and some cedar bark for various projects. I had some cedar inner bark in storage so I decided to pull it out and make a woven berry basket with it.

When you have collected a slab of bark, when it is still fresh or rehydrated, you can use a Jerry's Leather Stripper to cut out even strips that you can then use to make woven baskets.
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Six years ago I learned how to fell trees with a bow saw and it completely revolutionized my life. I can't tell you how nice it is to be in a quiet wooded area, smelling the freshly cut trees instead of being engulfed in terrible noise and the smell of gasoline. Since then I've been getting all my firewood, about 4 cords a year, by hand, felling and bucking trees with a bow saw. Of course, it takes a lot longer than if I used a chain saw, an estimated 80 hours of work to get my yearly supply.
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In this post I will show you how to tan a beaver hide using the dry-scrape method so we can preserve the hair and end up with a beautifully brain-tanned pelt.

In the following first video I describe the basic set up and tools and I show you how to scrape the hide using the dry scraper, including how to sharpen the tool.
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I just saw the movie Samsara the other night and it was powerful enough of a movie to mention here. It's in a similar vein as Koyaanisqatsi but with more incredible footage and with a better storyline (though the storyline will probably not be immediately evident to most people).

Rosalee wanted to get rid of the plastic covers for her checkbooks so she asked me to make some for her. Obviously, that's not really an ancestral skill but it's a good example of how we can meet our present needs sustainably using natural materials made at home and the covers turned out really nice so I thought I'd share with you all how I made them.

I used rawhide from a deer.
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In this video series I will take you through the process of brain tanning a deer hide from beginning to end, using the wet-scrape method. The wet-scrape method is the easiest one as far as tools and set up go. Compared to the dry-scrape method, you don't need a frame, cordage, or a very sharp tool.

In this first video I show how to flesh the hide; that is, how to remove all the flesh and fat sticking to the skin after the animal has been skinned.

We had a great time at the Alberta Herb Gathering! It was a small event, very conducive to interacting with participants, and with first-rate teachers. It was our first time in Alberta and the people were especially friendly and eager to learn. If you're interested in herbal medicine and live in the Edmonton area (though some people came from as far away as New York!) you may want to attend next year's event so check out their website and facebook page to stay in touch.
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