What is Close To The Skin?
Close to the Skin is a natural, hand tanning business. I offer a wide variety of hide tanning classes including buckskin, sheepskin, and pelt tanning with natural ingredients. I also offer courses in leather stitching, and garment making. I sell small batch, naturally made sheepskins, leathers, and a variety of hide made products.
Who is Close To The Skin?
My name is Coleen Butler, founder of Close to the Skin. I live in the coniferous woods of Northern Vermont. I am a hide tanner, hunter, and creator. I work with the visceral cycles of life and death. I am passionate about nose to tail eating, living with well-ness, living with the cycles and seasons of the earth, making clothing and fiber from earthen materials, and generally being a wild human.
Why do I tan this way?
I tan this way, simply put, because I love it. I love the intimacy of using raw, visceral material and turning it into something beautiful. I love knowing the story of the things I use- where they came from and how they were made. And I love how sacred and wild this process feels.
I also tan this way because I want to surround myself with healthy clothing and products, and I want to offer that to the earth, the wild creatures, and everyone around me. Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies. What we put in and on it affects our entire system. I want to honor that connection and honor the health of the soils and water I am working in and around. I want to offer hides that were made without chemicals, bleaches, or plastics, and that consider the health and wellness of ourselves and the earth.
Why might this Matter to you?
Wellness
You can have health and wellness surround you in your home and on your body. You deserve to be surrounded by things that are made naturally, and that are produced in a way that brings more life to the earth and you.
Storied Adornment
You are deeply connected to the things that surround you. You have the opportunity to know where they come from, how they were made, and thus be in greater conversation with story. With that story, you can have a deeper meaning and understanding of your life.
Gratitude
You are a resourceful and grateful human being. You know the importance of using resources and not wasting. You support the concept of using the whole animal, and can feel good about human connection to animals.
