The wet goatskin is stretched around a ball and immersed for about 90 seconds in water at 85°C. Once the skin is dry, the ball is removed. Six pieces of oil tanned salmon skin are then sewn together into a bowl shape, moistened, draped over the bowl and dried.
Height 13.5 cm
Diameter 20 cm
©Lotta Rahme
©David Nelson
©Lotta Rahme
©Lotta Rahme
Lotta Rahme
- Leatherworker
- Sigtuna, Sweden
- Master Artisan
Contact
Swedish, English
Address:
Långgatan 9, 19330 Sigtuna, Sweden
Långgatan 9, 19330 Sigtuna, Sweden
Hours:
By appointment only
By appointment only
Phone:
+46 703127846
+46 703127846
©Lotta Rahme
Preserving prehistoric skills
- • Lotta has dedicated her life to upholding tanning crafts
- • She tans with bark and unsaturated oils and dyes with natural plants
- • Her workshop houses a museum dedicated to Arctic leather tanning
As a young graduate, Lotta Rahme thought she would become a building engineer. But a course about documenting, preserving and spreading awareness of pre-industrial technology made her embark on a new, lifelong adventure. Lotta specialises in Arctic fish leather tanning, but when she started, in 1982, it wasn't easy to acquire knowledge of these traditional skills. “Historically, tanning is part of the domestic work of women, so I had to travel to areas where I could find women who still tanned skins by hand.” Lotta has dedicated herself to preserving and transmitting traditional skills that were disappearing. “I learned the techniques myself and pass them on through courses, books and films. I have contributed to the regaining of the title of Master Tanner, and to giving traditional tanning the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Sweden."
Read the full interviewWorks
Photo: ©Lotta Rahme
Bowl
Photo: ©Lotta Rahme
Bag
Sewn in vegetable tanned cowhide, this light brown shoulder bag closes with a zipper and the shoulder strap is adjustable. The front has a checked pattern created by inserted strips of salmon skin tanned with willow bark.
Length 37 cm
Height 12 cm
Diameter 17 cm
Photo: ©Lotta Rahme
Bag
This is a rectangular shoulder bag sewn from light and dark brown bark-tanned cowhide. The bag has a two-piece lid that closes with magnets. The front has a three-dimensional pattern created by strips of bark-tanned burbot skin in different shades.
Length 15 cm
Height 14 cm
Diameter 21 cm
Photo: ©Lotta Rahme
Bowl
The wet moosehide is stretched around a ball and immersed for about 90 seconds in water at 87°C. When the skin is dry, the ball is removed. Six pieces of bark-tanned eel skin are then sewn together into a bowl shape, moistened, draped over the bowl and dried.
Height 15 cm
Diameter 19 cm
Photo: ©Lotta Rahme
Bag
Straight at the top and rounded at the bottom, this bag is sewn from brown ostrich leather tanned with willow bark. The lid folds down and closes with a magnet and the shoulder strap is braided. The bag is decorated with an ostrich feather attached with a strip of etched brass.
Length 12 cm
Width 3 cm
Height 19 cm
Latest Instagram posts
Enjoy an experience with Lotta Rahme
You may also like
Organised by
Under the high patronage of
In partnership with
