Leather – Parts of the hide

If you’re not sure which parts of the hide to purchase for your projects, read on…

All parts of the hide can be used for something so it’s really not a case of one part being better than another – each part of the hide is best suited to specific projects.

The Shoulder: perfect for handbags, straps and handles. This part of the hide as a less dense fibre structure than butt although quite flexible, so lends itself well to many projects.  Usually quite easy to work with…

The Butt: ideal for belts as this is the area of the hide with a very dense fibre structure. Making your belts from butt will mean they are strong and are less likely to stretch than if using shoulder. It is very different to working with shoulder or belly.

The Belly: the stretchy part of the hide so while unsuitable for bags and belts, it is perfect for wet moulding projects (if vegetable tanned) such as masks.  The belly is often quite narrow so try and source a piece suitable for your project.

There are of course other parts of the hide but as you’re reading a ‘blog for beginners’, we’ll leave it here for now.

All of the above are available in a variety of thickness so take care to choose something appropriate for your project.

Remember that leather is sold by the square foot in the UK and by the square metre in Europe and the USA.  A ‘hide’ can be very large so it’s unlikely you will need to purchase all of it. When purchasing a smaller ‘skin’ for example a deer, goat, pig etc it will include all parts, so the back, butt, shoulder, belly and shanks.  It’s useful to understand that the butt is usually sold in pairs, however if you don’t need that much leather then you can buy a ‘half a pair of butts!’

TIP: If possible, It is better to buy your leather in person than to order online.

Now that you have a better understanding of which part of the hide is most suitable for your leatherwork projects,

visit Leatherwork Project – 6 Steps To Success

If you’re not sure where to buy your vegetable tanned leather, visit this post Leatherwork Supplies