Sewing with leather is not as hard as many people make it out to be. I just finished a fun project, a leather pillow with appliques. We live out in the country, so the horse theme seemed natural.
The black background leather was actually a coat of mine that developed a tear after many good years of use. I decided it needed a new life as home accessories, so I began cutting--at first I was very tentative--I mean, it was my coat! I just kept thinking how pretty it would be as a pillow and kept going. Then on to the scraps of turquoise leather I bought from someone who makes leather coats. I spent a lot of time cutting out the small pieces, I wanted them to be perfect. I experimented with my different types of scissors and a surgical knife until I found the right tool.
I placed the pieces on the background and when I was satisfied, I tacked them down with a little leather glue. Then a very slow process of sewing the intricate pieces on, I didn't want to screw up because the needle does leave a little hole, so no mistakes!
The end product is this beautiful 16" square pillow. The back is zippered to make stuffing easier.
My next project will be another pillow, red on black this time, with a spiral on it for the circle of life. These pillows will look beautiful on my black sofa with Pendleton wool blanket on it.
I love giving new life to something outdated or something you can't use anymore. It's recycling at it's best!
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