Leather bedspread?

[SUP]

Has anyone made a leather bedspread? I would love some information on how to make one.

I recently laid my hands on several old, large full grain hides - all dark brown. No mold or damage, just a little dry. I have cleaned them with dilute vinegar anyway, and saddle soap. Now being conditioned. I also plan to do the 'damp leather waxy conditioner rub-in' thing. Two of the three hides have large oil stains on the flesh side, as if they were used under a car. When I found them, they were being used as carpets at an estate sale but they are still in very good condition. No cuts or any other other damage. Tells me how strong and resilient leather is. I have, of course, cleaned them thoroughly.

They are soft and between 3.5 to 5 oz thick. I think with a lining, it might be interesting to make a bedspread with one of them. But I am unsure about even where to start.  

I would appreciate any information and guidance. 

[Handstitched]

My first thought that went through my head, it would be  totally impractical here in Oz, too hot and heavy .  The only other thought I had was , many years ago, I was contemplating using Possum skins in my leather products. But then as chance would have it, a customer, from New Zealand,  came to my stall and we got talking. She makes Possum skin products, she made a bed spread all out of Possum skins and it  was beautifully soft and warm, bit cold in NZ I'm guessing . Possums are  native to Australia  , but a pest  in NZ.  Cheap in NZ, but cost restrictive in Oz. ( they're welcome to our Cane Toads , lol )

Anyway, as I've never made  a leather bed spread,  perhaps make a template of the bed,  to make a rectangle shape of the bed, and perhaps use a soft fabric lining on the inside. Or you  could just keep the natural shape and neaten up the edges, but I'd still be using a soft fabric lining. Sewing it on will be interesting . I can't think of how  else you could do it. 

HS

Edited January 1, 2024 by Handstitched

[SUP]

Yes. It will be hot to use it as a blanket. I just plan to cover a bed with it.  It is not cold enough where I stay to use leather blankets either. Else, it would have been nice to make a leather blanket with a soft fur lining. 

That is  good idea, to check whether I want to keep the natural shape. After I have completed conditioning the leathers, i will have to check which best fits a bed and has the best shape.

I  thought the same - about lining with fabric - but stitching so much is daunting since I do only hand stitching and don't have a machine. I'm also wondering whether using some sort of snaps might work.it They can be attached in  some sort of pattern all over the bedspread holding the lining to it all over instead of only along the edges.   I could separate the fabric periodically to wash it. Of course, the edges of the leather will have to be finished anyway, whether I stitch the lining on or not.   And fabric will need to be stitched too, since we do not get fabric of such large widths. That can be done with my domestic sewing machine. I read on Amazon  about specific needles,   purportedly for domestic sewing machines to sew canvas and leather. Let's see if those work. I'm not too  confident but one can always try. I won't be surprised if  they  say '2-3 oz leather and no more' in fine print.

@Handstitched thank you for your suggestions.

 

[bruce johnson]

Im not sure how "drapy" it would be to use as a bedspread but might be pretty easy to use the whole hide as an overlay throw-on thing. I never made a full bed spread but did some other bed accents when I was doing some work for an interior decorator. I did "bed runner" strips 2x7 feet from hair-on cowhide and stamped vegtan borders. They laid across the bottom of the made up bed and  used the matching hide remnants for the decorative pillows. (Think "Cowboys and Indians" magazine). Also a couple sets for a really high end guest ranch's top of the line lodge suite. I got a huge hair-on buffalo hide one time. My son claimed it and laid on top in the living room floor and used it as a bedspread in the winter. 

[SUP]

@bruce johnson you're right. I have no idea how drapey the hides will be. Still have a way to go with the conditioning and restoration. They are very soft but might not drape well. 

If they ae not very drapey, I will have to probably find a different use for them. Let's see. 

Meanwhile. I know hair-on hides are used as blankets and rugs. Do you use them as is? I mean, as one gets them from the leather store? How does one keep them clean?

[chuck123wapati]

buffalo/ bison  comes to mind hair on they are very nice and soft. Folks used them for thousands of years.

[SUP]

@chuck123wapati Yes. I met a woman who said that too. I did not ask her much more about it though. I should have. Do you line those on the flesh side? is the flesh side soft enough to use as is?

My issue right now is using those hides. A bedspread will use a whole one.  I'm thinking that even if they don't become soft enough to drape softly, they can be a bit stiff - like comforters are, for example.  Which should be fine, since I don't plan to use it as a blanket. Let's see. Still a lot of work to do on them.

[chuck123wapati]

44 minutes ago, SUP said:

@chuck123wapati Yes. I met a woman who said that too. I did not ask her much more about it though. I should have. Do you line those on the flesh side? is the flesh side soft enough to use as is?

My issue right now is using those hides. A bedspread will use a whole one.  I'm thinking that even if they don't become soft enough to drape softly, they can be a bit stiff - like comforters are, for example.  Which should be fine, since I don't plan to use it as a blanket. Let's see. Still a lot of work to do on them.

if they are tanned correctly yes they are pretty soft what is hard to get used to is the weight of it.

[SUP]

@chuck123wapati yes I can imagine. But when it's cold enough to warrant using it,  think the warmth will make the weight acceptable, I suppose.

[chuck123wapati]

2 minutes ago, SUP said:

@chuck123wapati yes I can imagine. But when it's cold enough to warrant using it,  think the warmth will make the weight acceptable, I suppose.

oh yea you could sleep outside on the ground in a snow storm and stay warm. I would love one on my bed but the cost stops me lol and my dogs would probably try to eat it.

[Doc Reaper]

I was looking for leather that was closer to home than Tandy Leather, I found an ad on Craig's List that stated they had 3 or 4 full hides that were very soft and were being sold for $60 each full hide. I had to go look!

The woman selling them was about 5'5 (65 inches tall) but she also measured that laying down. She was moving into an assisted living facility and had to sell everything in her rat and roach infested house. The woman could walk and get around she was just lazy. When she showed me what leather she had the first thing I noticed was the smell! These hides were being used as bed spreads or throws for a number of decades.

   I told her the smell was pretty bad and that I didn't know how to wash the hides to remove that odor  (it was the smell of a human that never bathed). Come to think of it, if she used em as bed spreads they wouldn't have smelled that bad, so she was possibly using them as sheets, eeewwww!!! I had to leave the house before I lost my lunch. I never knew if she found a buyer, but I'll bet they had a bad cold! How would someone wash a 54 square foot 3/4 ounce cow hide???

Edited January 1, 2024 by Doc Reaper
Had a thought

[Klara]

What is your hypothetical bedspread supposed to do? 

Just make the bed look good? Then I would leave the hide whole in its natural shape (possibly cutting off frayed bits at the edges) and just put it on top (like those cowhide fur "rugs" you can buy at IKEA). 

Protect your bed sheets from your dog? Forget it, use a washable fleece blanket (just got a sniff of mine - fortunately polyester dries fast).

Protect the (guest bed) from dust (that's what my woven bedspreads do)? Then you'll need to create a rectangle the size of the bed and preferably add strips on the sides that cover the mattress. I don't think leather will drape well, so I wouldn't make the spread much loger that the bed (no corners). For getting the shape you could go patchwork all the way, or put your biggest hide in the middle (with straightened edges, unless you feel like assembling a puzzle), or... You could assemble the parts by sewing or lacing. (I had to cover beds 90 x 190 cm and I only have a 100 cm loom - allowing me to weave 90 cm wide. So I wove 90 cm wide for the top and added two strips for the sides, figuring that would look better than having a seam in the middle of the bed.)

I don't see any need for a lining, nor for "finishing" the edges (beyond cutting off anything you don't like the look of).

[SUP]

@Klara 'Hypothetical' is absolutely correct.! Essentially the bedspread is supposed to use up at least one of the hides that I bought in a moment of misplaced enthusiasm. Clean, complete hides for less than $20 each.. how could I walk past them? (it was the afternoon of the last day of an estate sale on a rainy week-end.. so not very many people visiting, ergo the price drop.)  Now, I'm stuck with 3 of them, and while restoring leathers is something I love to do, after restoration, what?

I have several similar restored items that I don't know what to do with.

The hides, I don't want to just keep them aside and forget about them. So, having just come  from a frenzied few months of gift making, I thought I would do something with these hides.

I will need a lining on the bedspread because the hide I am thinking of using has a large oil spot on the flesh side. Not visible on the grain side but I would like it covered. The more I think of it, the more labor intensive the whole thing seems. But if I don't decide on a deadline, I could complete it in a couple of years or so.

 

 

Edited January 2, 2024 by SUP

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, SUP said:

@Klara 'Hypothetical' is absolutely correct.! Essentially the bedspread is supposed to use up at least one of the hides that I bought in a moment of misplaced enthusiasm. Clean, complete hides for less than $20 each.. how could I walk past them? (it was the afternoon of the last day of an estate sale on a rainy week-end.. so not very many people visiting, ergo the price drop.)  Now, I'm stuck with 3 of them, and while restoring leathers is something I love to do, after restoration, what?

I have several similar restored items which I don't know what to do with.

The hides, I don't want to just keep them aside and forget about them. So, having just come  from a frenzied few months of gift making, I thought I would do something with these hides.

I will need a lining on the bedspread because the hide I am thinking of using has a large oil spot on the flesh side. Not visible on the grain side but I would like it covered. The more I think of it, the more labor intensive the whole thing seems. But if I don't decide on a deadline, I could complete it in a couple of years or so.

 

 

you made out like a bandit. leather works for furniture also, Restore some old chairs or make some new ones.

[SUP]

@chuck123wapati, I certainly did, didn't I?

You overestimate my abilities though. I just started leatherwork a year ago and am a long way yet from having the expertise to restore furniture or make new ones. Restoring boots and jackets and other such items, yes I can do but furniture is a completely different ball game. 

Edited January 2, 2024 by SUP

[fredk]

Do you live in an area which is cold or have cold winds in  winter? Make a door 'curtain'

[chuck123wapati]

31 minutes ago, SUP said:

@chuck123wapati, I certainly did, didn't I?

You overestimate my abilities though. I just started leatherwork a year ago and am a long way yet from having the expertise to restore furniture or make new ones. Restoring boots and jackets and other such items, yes I can do but furniture is a completely different ball game. 

I prefer to believe you underestimate your abilities.  start with something easy like a ottoman footstool for example find one that just needs to be recovered so not much wood work to do.

 

[SUP]

Thank you for those kind words. Maybe I will start looking for something like that.