carolina hides

Honoring life. Redirecting waste. Reducing environmental impact. Creating heirlooms.

SOLD, Plush Softy Sheep

SOLD, Soft Spotty Sheep

SOLD, Long-haired Chocolate Sheep

SOLD, Light Brown Goat

SOLD, Spotty Goat

SOLD, Light Grey Fluffy Sheep

SOLD, Angora Goat Weirdo

SOLD, Fluffy Toffee Sheep

SOLD, Speckled Long-haired Goat

Red-toned Goat

SOLD, Grey-tipped Fluffy Sheep

SOLD, Large Red Brown Goat

SOLD, Grey-tinged Soft Sheep

SOLD, Large Brown Wooly

SOLD, Speckled Softy

SOLD, Spotted Softy

SOLD, Plush Chocolate

SOLD, Furry patchy

SOLD, Plush wooly

SOLD, Dynamic Wooly

SOLD, Short softy

carolina hides

A small-scale regional fiber systems, or “fibershed,” project to keep North Carolina fiber local, humane, and environmentally responsible at all stages of production. This project centers the animals, humans, and environment involved in fiber production, and builds relationships with local family-run sites to ensure humane and environmentally-friendly practices.

Honoring life & Redirecting waste: The sheep and goats that grew these hides were all raised on farms in North Carolina and harvested for meat at a local slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse chosen uses some of the most humane practices found in the area. After harvesting, many of these hides go to waste or are sent very long distances out of state or overseas to be further processed and sold. This project re-directs hides from going to waste or moving long distances, and in so doing, honors another part of the animal by giving it a new life.

Reducing environmental impact: The sheep and goats that provided these hides were all raised, harvested, and processed in North Carolina. By keeping fiber production local at all stages of production, the use of petroleum to move the hides long distances to be processed and sold is eliminated. The project also toured and inquired the local tanning facility utilized to ensure environmentally responsible practices.

The process: All sheep and goat hides are hand-picked at the slaughterhouse, and I do some of the cutting and fleshing of the hides on-site. The hides are then driven to the local tannery, and then picked up after a couple of months and sold locally.