NATURAL HIDES

THESE MATERIALS ARE ALL 'NATURAL' HIDES. THEY DO NOT COME ON A ROLL LIKE FABRICS THAT CAN BE ROLLED OUT AND NEATLY CUT BY THE YARD, WITH 48 AND 52 INCH CONTROLLED WIDTHS.

THERE WILL BE WASTE. THIS IS AN ACCEPTED FACT OF MANUFACTURING LEATHER AND SUEDE HIDES INTO ANYTHING. HOW MUCH DEPENDS ON YOUR PATTERNS AND THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE MOST OF YOUR GIVEN HIDE (YIELD).

YOU WILL HAVE TO STRETCH YOUR IMAGINATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO USE PATTERNS WITHIN THESE IMPERFECT SHAPES AND DIMENSIONS. THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE. ANIMALS WILL NOT BEGIN TO BE BORN IN ROLLS. SQUARE FOOTAGE, IS ROUGHLY THE CONCEPT OF 12 BY 12 INCH SQUARES WITHIN THE HIDE'S WHOLE AREA. IT IS MEASURED AND STAMPED AT THE TANNERY BEFORE A HIDE LEAVES. IT IS DONE IN METRIC MEASUREMENT AT TIMES (ESP. WITH EUROPEAN HIDES) BUT CAN BE AND IS CONVERTED WHEN SOLD IN THE U.S.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE AND BELOW CONCEPTS. I WILL DO MY BEST TO MAKE IT CLEARER. PLEASE DIRECT QUESTIONS TO; demitri@leatherimpact.com

UNDERSTANDING THICKNESS of HIDES - the thickness of a hide can vary quite a bit and determine which use it will be appropriate for. It is not easy to understand in theory and is better followed when one begins to work with hides in person and then can 'feel' the difference between them. In numbers, leather and suede is measured in weight, which also translates to a thickness in actual measurement. I will attempt to give the 'basics' as I know them;

Most 'Garment' weight leather = .7 - .9 millimeters = 1/32 of an inch = 1.75 - 2.25 ounces (some is a little thicker - .8 - 1 MM).

'Upholstery' weight leather and 'Accessory' weight leather = .9 - 1.2 millimeters = 1/32 - 3/64 of an inch = 2 - 3 ounces Note; that accessories can be done in a variance of thicknesses, being controlled by 'backing' and 'interfacing' - fabrics that are preglued or stuck with other adhesive sprays and liquids to the back side of leather, to enhance strength, durability and can change the feel and stiffness of them.

Other' leather thicknesses commonly carried by us include ranges = 1.2 MM. = 3 OZ. = 3/64 of an inch through 1.6 MM. = 4 OZ. = 5/64 of an inch, although we carry some basic cow leathers = 2.4 MM. - 3+ MM. = 6+ OZ. (up to 8+ OZ) = 1/8+ of an inch. I hope this helped in some small way. It may have complicated things further. I tried. It will come with experience

NOTE; A hide can also 'feel' thicker by the way it is tanned. The actual chemicals and treatment, whether it is milled and softened, top finishes, among other processes can manipulate the hides and change their 'hand' (how they feel in-hand) - thus changing their 'toughness' and how they respond to their use, regardless of thickness or weight.

Lamb leather has a SMOOTH surface finish and appears 'grainy' due to magnification.

A FEW NOTES ON LACING (TRIM) - This can be the most complicated area to explain and to initially understand. More than any other item, this one takes time and experience with the product, to grasp. It is the one item we sell that is changed and manipulated by us, after it is tanned. Most of our trim, I believe, is superior (I have seen a good amount of 'other' trim out there in the marketplace) because we are using our OWN hides for most of the production. This means, the cost may be a little greater, but we are beginning the cutting process with hides that some would argue, are 'too good to cut up.' We don't worry what others are saying or doing. This is how you create the BEST trim. This is one of the few times (another are snake hides) where yardage is used to measure the leather, as apposed to square footage. 

About Spools - Generally , spools hold 25, 50, 75 yards - and sometimes more, depending on the item cut and if it will fit, but when creating a custom cut (two hide minimum) job, the variance can be 10 or more yards, depending on the size and shape of those hides. Yes, we can try to select 'bigger' or 'smaller' hides, but there is still no way to know the exact outcome. So, back to our example, a 'raw edge' lace is chosen to be cut into '1/4 inch' lace. Because this is thin (less material is used) the 2 hides may yield around 40 yards. '1/2 inch?' cut that number approximately in half, because you are using twice as much width (more material) to create the same length of lace...somewhere around 25 yards may be produced, maybe less. One inch usually produces the same amount of yards as you use in square footage, with regard to the initial hides BUT, not if you are folding or adding to that lace in any way as you go along. That's more material, thus, less length.

Order Minimums - As a general concept of how we come to our 'minimums' to order, when creating a color from scratch, this follows in a 'conversational' style; Let's say someone asks for 'raw edge', yellow lamb leather, the correct yellow lamb leather is selected in full hides, from our stock. The leather is then cut and left without finishing the edge, which if folded, would have 'doubled' the amount of leather used, and would require more hides to complete the same distance. One dilemma arises here...no two hides are exactly the same size and shape. That means that the exact 'yield' of what is the output of cutting those hides will never be known exactly, till it is done. Ranges have to be used, which can be a little hard to accept, when you are paying for each and every yard produced.

I hope this begins to help people understand custom production trim work. As I mentioned with this (and most leather items) it comes with time and hands-on experience. There are few books that explain things properly. Let me know if I can clarify further...contact me @ demitri@leatherimpact.com, and I will do my best. Thank you for your time and I hope you choose us for all of your leather and suede trim needs.

 PLEASE NOTE - We cannot swatch the 'exotic' hides.