Buckskin Sewing 101

$128 or 3 monthly payments of $48

Buckskin Sewing 101

A self-paced course to introduce you to the fundamentals of buckskin sewing and guide you from start to finish on a sample project where you'll have the opportunity to apply these skills hands-on.

Access the pre-recorded video classes as soon as you register, and then join the next live session for four weeks of live Q&A zoom calls

Next Session: August 10- September 8 2025

Registration: $128
Includes video classes, interactive Zoom calls, access to student group via online community platform, and downloadable course instructions.

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What’s so revolutionary about buckskin sewing?

Brain tanned buckskin is a magical material.

It is not just beautiful, strong, and durable; it also carries the energy of the deer that grew it, the wild places that deer lived its life, and a piece of human history. Everyone of us can trace our history back to ancestors who wore buckskin or something very much like it.

Working with buckskin connects us to our own hands, to the landscape around us, and to the wilder place in ourselves. The places that know what it is to be intimately connected with the material substances that make our lives possible. The fact that it is an incredible material to work with and wear is a big bonus too!

This course will:

Give you an understanding of what makes buckskin unique.
Teach you important principles to help you design garments that are as functional as they are beautiful.
Show you the categories of seams and stitches, how to choose between them and how to sew them well.

It includes pre-recorded video lessons you can watch on your own schedule, written instructions to make your own small project, an interactive online platform to engage with Woniya and the other students, and live Zoom calls to ask your questions and get real time feedback from Woniya.

This course is for you if

👜 You want to work with traditional leather but don't know where to begin

🧶 You’ve worked with cloth or other leathers and want to expand your sewing knowledge

💫 You want to feel more connected to the clothes you wear and the material goods in your life

🦌 You’ve found working with buckskin challenging in the past and would like to learn how to be more successful with it

💪 You want to empower yourself with more skills to make and do for yourself instead of relying on stores

🧵 You have experience with buckskin sewing and want to expand on your skills and knowledge

💞 You’d like to be part of a larger community of people practicing traditional skills

🤝 You want real time mentorship with an expert in the field of traditional leatherwork and sewing

What You'll Learn

How brain tanned buckskin is made and what makes it different from cloth and other leathers
How to orient the hide to your body so you can wear it like the deer wore it. You'll learn how to make clothing that fits and moves with your body in a way mass produced, store bought garments can't.

3. How to select and use the best tools for the job

4. How to create high quality sewing material out of the buckskin itself

5. How to recognize and avoid a lot of the common mistakes most people make when learning to work with buckskin

6. How to choose between the different types of stitches and seams to create projects that are beautiful, functional, and hold up well over time

7. How to put together and sew a bag or garment, with detailed demonstration you can follow along with and instructions you can print out

8. Basics of buckskin garments and a tour of my personal buckskin wardrobe with commentary on learned in the process of making and wearing it

9. How to embellish, dye, clean and care for your buckskin items and garments

Course Structure

Module 1: Buckskin Sewing Building Blocks
Teaching an understanding of this unique material, the best tools and techniques to use with it, and my Cardinal Rules of Buckskin Sewing
Module 2: A Hands-on Buckskin Sewing Project
Step by step instructions for completing a small project, providing skills and practice builds for larger projects
Module 3: Garments
Discussion of creating buckskin garments, details about my own buckskin wardrobe, pattern making, a tour of fur parka for Alone, and an overview of a shorts project.
Module 4: Next Steps
Making black walnut dye for buckskin, other embellishment and design ideas, and tips for caring for your buckskin clothing.
Bonus modules: In addition to these, you'll have access to the Q&A sessions from previous years of Buckskin Sewing 101.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for a complete list of course contents

Buckskin and Alone

Putting my money where my mouth is, so to speak. . .

I don't just teach about and wear buckskin clothing, I have also worn it in extreme wilderness conditions.

I am best know for my appearances on the Alone show on the HISTORY Channel On Alone Season 6 and Alone Frozen. I brought my own homemade clothing- buckskin and otherwise, both times and it was a key part of my wardrobe and strategy both times!

Well made buckskin clothing can take you to some of the wildest places, and bring the wild into your modern life as well!

“Long ago, Woniya took on the challenge of learning from the many common mistakes she saw and figuring out how to keep these problems from happening in the first place. She started teaching classes she called “Making Superhero Clothes” because once you put the time into learning to work well with this wondrous material, the clothing you make will inevitably be unique and make the wearer feel incredible.”
— Tamara Wilder, Hide Tanning and Ancestral Skills instructor, from her foreword to Woniya’s book

Course Schedule

Next session: August 10- September 8 2025

I run a 5 week live session (weekly Q&A Zoom calls) once a year, with an invitation for everyone who has enrolled since the last one happened to participate. In recent years, our lives sessions have taken place in August.

2025 Zoom Call Schedule
Opening Circle: Monday August 11 5pm PDT

Module 1 Q&A: Monday August 18 5pm PDT

Module 2 Q&A: Monday August 25 5pm PDT

Module 3 Q&A: Tuedsay September 2 5pm PDT (Shifted to not fall on Labor Day)

Module 5 Q&A and closing circle: Monday September 8 5pm PDT

The interactive Zoom calls are optional, not required, and intended to support the video classes and provide support, interaction, and an opportunity for Q&A. Zoom calls will be recorded and shared after they take place so all participants can access them.

The classes are pre-recorded and can be watched any time, and you will continue to have unlimited access to them and the written materials after the close of the live session.

If we get enough enrollment from time zones in Europe, I will schedule two alternative timing calls to allow these students to participate.

Additionally, students will have 24hr access to the community Circle platform to connect with one another and Woniya about the course material

Woniya and Buckskin

I have been tanning, sewing with, and teaching about brain tanned buckskin at events around the US for over 20 years. I have taught hundreds of students, made clothing for a variety of televised survival adventures, including my own on Alone Season 6, and traveled around the country spreading the buckskin gospel. My book series on buckskin sewing, currently in the editing stage, is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of sewing with buckskin and the first of its kind.

There is a reason I call my business Buckskin Revolution! Working with buckskin has been a source of inspiration and connection to me for my entire adult life. It has a special ability to bring us back to the deeper, wilder, more ancient parts of ourselves. In today's modern world, choosing to practice and honor land based skills like hide tanning and sewing is a revolutionary act. Sharing these skills with others is my joy and passion.

Please see “On Cultural Appropriation” on this page about why I do not teach traditional Native American sewing techniques in this class or elsewhere.

Learn more →

On Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation is defined as a member of one culture adopting an element of another. Mis-appropriation is appropriating in a way that causes harm. This generally involves a power imbalance, where a person or people from the dominant culture, (such as a white person in North America) takes from a culture that has been oppressed or harmed by the dominant culture, such as Native American groups who have had their land, sovereignty, and very lives taken by white North Americans, without permission or consent.

I teach a variety of land based living skills, and have focused a lot of my teacher career on tanning and sewing with buckskin. It is my aim and my intent to avoid doing so in a way that is culturally appropriative.

This is not a class in making Native American style dress or Native American sewing techniques. I use my own techniques and patterning and specifically avoid reproduction work and styles that look similar to native dress to avoid cultural mis-appropriation.

Every person alive today has ancestors who wore and worked with brain tanned buckskin or something very like it. Tanning and wearing traditional leathers is part of our common human heritage and what allowed our ancient relatives to migrate out of the warm tropics to harsher temperate climates. The techniques I teach for working with buckskin are not specific to any one group of people.

This is not a class in making Native American style dress or Native American sewing techniques. I use my own techniques and patterning and specifically avoid reproduction work and styles that look similar to native dress to avoid cultural mis-appropriation.

Feedback from Students:

"I just finished the videos, and I just wanted to say that this course was so well put together and so much fun. Such a privilege to get to learn from you, and it's evident that you've been doing it for decades! And also that you love to teach."

Sarah Brooks, hide tanner

"Truly this buckskin course is inspiring me beyond belief!

Thank you for sharing the knowledge you’ve cultivated. I’m starting my first round of brain tan buckskin and am so tickled to work more with it.

I’ve been going through your videos multiple times and receiving more each time! "

Freya Saoirse, craftsperson

Materials and Tools

You don't need any materials to take this course, and you'll learn a tremendous amount just by watching the modules and participating in the community discussions.

However, as with anything in life, you'll learn even more by participating hands-on and applying the skills as you go! Students are encouraged to follow along with their own buckskin and tools. A pattern and instructions, and a resource list will be provided as part of the class materials so you can purchase materials for yourself.

I generally make a small number of my handmade buckskin sewing awls and precut kits for sale to my buckskin 101 students. As a busy mama of an infant son, I am not sure that I will be able to do so for the August 2024 session. I will let students know prior to the class start.

“Profound gratitude for the time you have put into learning these skills and ways of life and for your beautiful, competent, kind, and EXTREMELY thorough and passionate way of sharing and teaching, thank you. What a gift and incredible learning opportunity. I’m excited to continue the journey!”

— Michaela Himelfarb, Outdoor Educator

Pricing

This course includes:

4 modules of exclusive content based on Woniya’s decades of perfecting her crafting, plus additional modules in the form of the recordings of the Q&A calls from past sessions of the course
Optional Interactive Zoom calls to get feedback on and support on your learning journey
Membership in an online learning community during the course of the class, so you can engage with the other students and become part of a larger circle.
Downloadable instructions on stitches and techniques so you can create your own project as well as watch the process

Woniya is passionate about sharing these skills and the course is priced to make it accessible. We believe it is a tremendous value given all that is included and we hope you do too. We want this to be a wonderful investment you can make in a future enriched by all the skills you’ll learn!

Buckskin Revolution is committed to making these skills widely available and to social and restorative justice. We offer full and partial scholarships for BIPOC, queer and transgender students and students with financial need.

Registration: $98

Apply for scholarship

FAQs

I don’t know anything about sewing and don’t do any hand crafts, is this course going to be too much for me?

Absolutely! This course is designed for all skills levels and is ideal for beginners. You’ll have less bad habits to unlearn than people who think that because they know how to sew with cloth, they know how to sew with buckskin!

I already do a lot of leather sewing, will I really learn anything new from this class?

Yes! Buckskin is so different from other leathers that it requires very different mindsets and techniques. A lot of the mistakes I see in buckskin sewing are by those who have more sewing experience. I definitely recommend taking the course regardless of having experience with leather sewing!

I don’t have any buckskin, does it make sense for me to take the course?

You can participate in the course just watching and learning, or by following along hands on with buckskin. I will be recommending sources to purchase hides from and will make some pre-cut buckskin pouch kits available for sale on a first come, first served basis for students.

Can I work with leather I already have from a standard leather store?

Brain tanned buckskin is fundamentally different from other leathers, so while you can practice the basic skills by sewing with leather from a store, it won’t behave the same way and you shouldn't assume that the principles apply to and will work well with commercial leathers.

I have a busy schedule, am I going to have time to take this class?

The class is designed to be self-paced. The class material is all pre-recorded, so you can watch the modules accordion to your own schedule. The Zoom calls are the only part of the course with specific timing. These calls are optional, they add a lot to the class experience and the learning, but you won’t miss any crucial instruction by not participating in them, and they will be recorded and shared with the students after they happen so all can view them.

I don’t like group activities or Zoom calls, can I still take the class and learn from it?

Absolutely! See above answer.

How long will I have to finish the course?

You will have access to the classes for as long as you'd like. The course is designed to take roughly 4 weeks, which is when you'll be able to participate in the Zoom calls to ask questions and connect. But beyond that you're free to take your time with the content, watch and re-watch as much as you'd like.

Interested?

Join our email list to hear more about this and future offerings.

Course Contents

Introduction

1.1 Welcome to the course!

10 mins
734 MB

Link to REGISTER for BR Circle!

Link to ACCESS BR Circle

Learn to sew- Buckskin Sewing 101 Sampler Bag January 2021.pdf

951 KB

Buckskin Sampler Bag Pattern.pdf

229 KB

Please read: Note on Cultural Sensitivity and Cultural Appropriation

Sources for Materials and Tools related to Hide Tanning and Buckskin Sewing

181 KB

PDF Version of Cultural Sensitivity and Cultural Appropriation

64.7 KB

Buckskin Stitches Table 9-3-24.pdf

58.3 KB

Opening Circle Zoom Call

Opening Circle Part 1 Aug 11 2025.mp4

32 mins
3.02 GB

Opening Circle Part 2 Aug 11 2025.mp4

40 mins
3.12 GB

Module 1: Buckskin Sewing Building Blocks

1.1 Introduction to Module 1

3 mins
154 MB

1.2 Let's Dive into Buckskin!

19 mins
1.43 GB

1.3 Understanding Awls

7 mins
521 MB

1.4 How to Cut Buckskin Thong

10 mins
141 MB

Addendum to Thong cutting- Demo and Q&A from Module 2 Zoom Call, March 31 2022

8 mins
1.19 GB

1.5 Woniya's Cardinal Rules of Buckskin

21 mins
1.57 GB

1.6 My Personal Buckskin Toolkit

9 mins
646 MB

Buckskin Stitches Table 9-3-24.pdf

58.3 KB

Module 1 Zoom Call

Module 1 Zoom Call Part 1 8/18/25

39 mins
3.37 GB

Module 1 Zoom Call Part 2.mp4

27 mins
2.11 GB

Module 2: A Hands-on Learning Project

2.1 Introduction to Module 2

2 mins
120 MB

2.2 Prepping your Hide for Projects

3 mins
172 MB

2.3 Sampler Project Part 1

28 mins
2.07 GB

2.4 Sampler Project Part 2

19 mins
1.38 GB

2.5 Sampler Project Part 3

29 mins
2.16 GB

2.6 Sampler Project Part 4

21 mins
1.55 GB

2.7 Sampler Project Part 5

15 mins
1.1 GB

French Twist Lock Stitch demo from 2024 Module 2 call

7 mins
770 MB

Module 2 Zoom Call

Buckskin Module 2 call Part 1 8-25-25

36 mins
615 MB

Buckskin Module 2 Part 2 8-25-25

48 mins
838 MB

Module 3: Garments

3.1 Introduction to Module 3

3 mins
219 MB

3.2 Buckskin Garment Basics and a Learning Tour of my Wardrobe

36 mins
2.68 GB

3.3 Pattern Making Talk

14 mins
1000 MB

3.4 Woniya on Making her Fur Parka for Alone Frozen

16 mins
209 MB

3.5 Making Shorts for Matt

20 mins
1.44 GB

3.6 Link to Woniya's Buckskin Gallery

Module 3 Zoom Call

Module 3 Call Part 1 September 2 2025

39 mins
668 MB

Module 3 Part 2 Sept 2 2025.mp4

35 mins
557 MB

Module 4: Care and feeding of your buckskins, and inspiration

4.1 Introduction to Module 4

2 mins
77.1 MB

4.2 Washing your buckskin clothing (and please do!)

11 mins
206 MB

4.3 Design, Embellishments, and Buckskin Superhero Clothes

8 mins
561 MB

4.4 Making and Using Black Walnut Dye

18 mins
1.31 GB

4.5 The Wide World of Buckskin Slide Show

16 mins
918 MB

Thank you and Viva la Revolucion!

I hope this will be but one step on your journey to live a more revolutionary life!

Thank you Everyone!

5 mins
325 MB

Module 4 and Closing Circle September 8 2025

Module 4 Call Part 1 Sept 8 2025 .mp4

30 mins
524 MB

Module 4 Part 2 Sept 8 2025.mp4

40 mins
662 MB

Zoom Calls for 2024 Session August 2024

Opening Circle Tuesday August 6.mp4

(1h 05m 15s)
2.91 GB

Module 1 Q&A Call August 13,2024

(1h 16m 12s)
3.01 GB

Alt timing Opening Circle& Module1&2 Call Aug 15 2024

53 mins
2.56 GB

Module 2 Q&A Tuesday Aug 20

54 mins
2.97 GB

Module 3 Q&A Tues Aug 27 2024

(1h 00m 19s)
4.61 GB

Alt Timing Module 3&4 Aug 29 2024

(1h 35m 18s)
3.95 GB

Module 4 and Closing Circle August 3 2024

59 mins
3.92 GB

Zoom Calls for Spring 2023 Sesion

Opening Call #1 Buckskin 101, March 21, 2023

(1h 17m 27s)
2.58 GB

Opening Call #2 Buckskin Sewing 101 March 26, 2023

(1h 13m 13s)
1.29 GB

Module 2 Buckskin Sewing 101 Spring 2023

59 mins
643 MB

Module 3 Bucskin Sewing 101 Spring 23 .mp4

(1h 23m 58s)
1.98 GB

Module 4, Buckskin Sewing 101 4-16-23.mp4

(1h 45m 53s)
1.64 GB

Zoom Call Recordings for March 21- April 15 2022 Session

If you aren't able to make it to the calls, or you were and they were so good you want to experience them over again, here is your link to watching them!

Week 1/Module 1 Zoom Call March 24 2022

Chat notes for Week 1 Zoom call

2.37 KB

Week 2/Module 2 Zoom Call March 31 2022

Week 3/Module 3 Zoom Call April 7 2022

Mid Session Weekend Zoom Call April 9 2022

Zoom Calls for Feb 8 2021- March 8 2021

For all those in this group who want to watch or rewatch all of our Zoom Calls, or for those who weren't in this group but would like to learn more from our discussions, here are the recordings of our Zoom calls.

Opening Circle Buckskin Sewing 101 February 2021 Session

(1h 04m 01s)
454 MB

Buckskin Sewing 101 Week 2 Zoom Feb 2021 Session

57 mins
1.67 GB

Buckskin Sewing 101 Week 3 Zoom Feb 2021 Session

(1h 08m 08s)
1.75 GB

Buckskin Sewing 101 Week 4 Zoom Feb 2021 Session

55 mins
1.79 GB

Buckskin Sewing 101 Closing Circle N America 3-8-21.mp4

59 mins
914 MB

Buckskin Sewing Zoom European Schedules Feb Session

(1h 03m 54s)
1.68 GB

Buckskin Sewing Closing Circle for European Schedules Feb Session

(1h 22m 43s)
2.44 GB

Recording of Opening Call March 21 2020

(1h 15m 44s)
2.14 GB