Ellie Julier
| First we got the got skin from a hunter. We started by laying it out on a table and putting gloves on. Then we used scissors to cut off the fat under the skin. This was a big job that took several days. In between cutting off the fat we soaked the hide in water. Next we "broke the fibers" by mushing, wringing, stretching and other good stuff to soften it up. You have to do a good job at this stage or it will not be soft when it dries. Then we took some stakes out and stretched it out on the ground. When the hide was tight like a drum, we stuck the stake into the edges of the hide and into the ground. While we still had our gloves on we spread a mix of three cow brains out onto the hide. This steps also helps to make the hide softer. When it all dried and baked in the sun, we rinsed it. A lot of the fur came off because the hide was so soft. Then we got some sticks about five feet long and tied rope through the hide and around the frame to keep the hide stretched. We took the hide outside to let it dry on the frame. Now we have it hanging in our room! |
| -- Ellie Julier |
| When I was kneading the brains into the underside of the hide it felt really weird! After we had rubbed the brains for a while, the skin started turning pink. Well, I definitely thought it was lots of fun, but if your stomach gets queasy easily, I definitely don't recommend it! |
| -- Meredith Newman |
| When I heard about the deer hide I thought Cool! But it was not as cool as I thought it would be, in fact, it was grosser than it was fun. Something about the feeling of how cold and slimy it really felt almost made me quit. The hardest part to cope with for me was the part when we cut off all the fat. I guess the reason that it was the worst part for me is because it was a first time experience so I didn't exactly feel good about it, but the last day of cutting off the fat I actually took off my gloves! |
| -- Ben Wormser |
