Leather bedspread?

[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.