Leatherwork found us by chance. A close friend of ours saved some leather hides from the landfill and sent them our way. Over time we began to work with leather learning this new material. Leanne made a few leather-bottom totes and Nick made a few wallets and Hemlock and Hyde was born. After solidifying a few designs we began doing local markets. We were amazed that people loved our goods. We used the profits from our markets to buy and upgrade equipment and never looked back.
We're giving you a behind the scenes look on what it's like to own a leather goods company. We're based out of our Pennsylvania studio where the entire process takes place. Join us on our journey while we make mistakes and figure out how to run a business. You might even learn something about leathercraft.
If you try to break it down to purely as a cost it probably doesn't seem worth it or like a waste of time/money. It's one of the reasons it important to not judge it solely on cost. We learn something from every prototype and enjoy the process of creating something new and finding those happy accidents that can't be planned for. Sometimes these lessons translate into a completely new design or find themselves as part of the next collection. It also helps us get the right order of operations down so we can feel confident the bag makes sense to produce in small batches. and we completely agree that it makes a better end product. It's like trying to quantify experience.
Why do you pull so much thread off when you remove the piece from the sewing machine? I understand you need some to thread the needle and pass it to the back side, but not that much. I am asking because you are concerned with not wasting leather and materials and you could easily waste less thread by pulling less thread off. Great job otherwise. Your bags are beautiful.
To be honest this is probably a habit from making sure we have enough to hand stitch. You can't stretch the thread but you can always cut it. We loop it through multiple times to secure it and finish the thread line. Thanks for the suggestion
First off, thank you for this video. I am learning more each time I watch. I am ordering the pattern weights you are using. What is the white pen/pencil you are using? Are you buying your leather from Buckleguy, I use them for hardware but haven’t tried their leather.
Thanks! It a chalk pencil, and is available at any craft or art supply shop. We use Wickett and Craig Leather and do purchase directly from them or Buckleguy. Buckleguy has some great custom colors from WC. Hope that helps
In my opinion, I think you should do your “Live” with all the bags in the background. As it pretty much allows everybody to see all the bags at once and that helps with making decisions. What color/style to put on their wish list.
The Mini Bowery in Cerulean + Cerulean Milled + English Tan Milled are Pre-ordering now. If you missed a designs pre-order you can sign up for to be notified when it returns on the product page. If you meant the display wall, most of these are for display purposes our goal is to make an additional one of each design/color combo so we can show them and have more opportunities for photo sessions. Hopefully that answers you question.
You guys are amazing! Medically retired firefighter due to spinal cord injury. For a long period I have done leather craft as a hobby. But now I'm forced to due it to make ends meet, not in a negative sense because I truly enjoy it, just never imagined it supporting my family. One year into our family business, Freedom Farms NC as our family brand .My wife and I handling separate groups in Freedom Leather Co and Liberty Bee and Botanicals. Your videos are so helpful as we manage this new life and strive to succeed. I really appreciate the time and dedication required to provide us this information.
Very kind words, thank you so much for your response. If you ever have a topic you want covered in a video let us know, we always have our eyes open for new ideas.
we get this question often. we aren't set up to do special orders in an efficient way and with the volume of our regular orders its just not something we can do. Creating the design, pattern, revisions, modeling and prototype is the longest part of the process we wouldn't be able to offer it at a reasonable cost.
@@hemlockandhyde I am gifting a bag from my inventory, how do you track the gifted item for accounting purposes? does it count as a deduction? or is this practice not recommended? I also donate my bags to different charities but I am not sure how to deduct them. Thank you so much for the help.
got it, it's my understanding that typically donations can qualify as tax deductible for a 501 c 3 non-profit. You should also receive a receipt from the Non-profit/proof of donation. I believe there are limits based on your adjusted gross income. For bookeeping you can create an invoice for the product and add it as an expense, and remove it from inventory if you track. It's likely best to consult your CPA for your specific situation.
Yeah ,neither do I. Sounds like an asshat if u ask me. Ignore all that . Your work is impressive. Your designs remind me a little of coach bags. A++++++++++
