Barefoot Leather of Bromyard

26/02/2026

I can hardly believe it's nearly March already! As always it's been super busy in the workshop. Every year we have what we call 'elbow patch season' when all the heavier jumpers and jackets (and even cashmere cardigans) get fettled for winter. It generally starts in late August with school blazers needing elbow patches and sometimes cuff bindings to protect and even extend the length of sleeves. This is also 'Geography Teacher' time as winter weight jackets are fettled before the return to school.
Next comes Barbour Jacket orders. We make lovely slightly oily water resistant patches and bindings that are perfect for repairing barbed wire rips and fraying cuffs. They are easy to apply as they come with pre-punched holes.
Right now it's all about jeans. A cuff binding on each leg stops fraying and gets them ready for spring and summer.
The jewellery workshop is going from strength to strength. I'll apologise in advance for filthy hands in the pictures but we are all about raw naked reality! 😝
Thank you for getting to the end and I hope you found the elbow patches and cuffie info interesting. Honestly I had no idea there would be such a demand!
PS - does anyone know a craftsperson called Ellis? I have a gorgeous handmade Victorian maker's stamp for sale (see pictures). Drop an email to [email protected] to discuss.

30/01/2026

https://youtube.com/shorts/Deh9w1EeaPA?si=2xSAFrtBL8MkrD4x

We are rather proud of our archery bracers and quivers. It was great to see them in Guy Ritchie's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

In The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024), the bow and arrow scenes featuring Anders Lassen (played by Alan Ritchson) serve as a stylized, brutal, and ...

22/12/2025

Seasons Greetings Facebook Folk!
Well, that's the last order in the post and it's time to pull up the drawbridge and break out the rum.
I hope you all have the festive fun you deserve and next year is a bit kinder to those in need.
High spot of this year was buying two lovely arm chairs for my tiny living room and discovering they were covered in a subtle but rather naughty Karma Sutra print - I am not joking, although I actually shrieked with laughter!

09/12/2025

Lots of pictures from this past month as it's been very busy on both the leather and silver benches.
Aside from the autumnal weather and shorter days nothing much has changed here in the Shire.
I've had some lovely people visit for my introduction to leatherworking courses but as I'm not generally 'open to the public' the workshop has started to get a bit messy (this is an understatement!). Hopefully the Christmas break will allow me to restore a semblance of order!

28/08/2025

It's always interesting to work on something that was made more than 100 years ago. A rather splendid WWI Ghurka khukri arrived in my workshop recently. The knife was in amazing condition but the sheath had literally rotted away.
Traditionally, khukri sheaths have a wooden core covered in very thin sheep or goat skin. This is stretched over the wood and holds the two halves together.
My task was not to make a new sheath but to utilise any reusable bits as part of a restoration project aimed at making a display piece rather than a usable sheath.

09/08/2025

This is a bit off topic, but I've started doing a bit of silverwork. Nothing too clever, just fun stuff, personal projects that stop me thinking about anything else...
I've always been fascinated by Navaho Indian silver and the way it works so well with turquoise. I'd eventually like to make period correct decorations for 'Old West' leatherwork - bags, pouches, holsters and suchlike stuff.
It's a very steep learning curve (a huge understatement!) but I'm loving the challenge without the stress of selling the things I make.

26/07/2025

It's been manic in the workshop this week as we prepared to send a huge order to the Netherlands. Lots of pretties in the biggest package I've ever posted!
It was great to work with some exceptionally fine leather. Beautiful textures and gorgeous hand dyed colours. So satisfying!
Freyja was constantly on guard duty, cleverly pretending to be sun bathing!

17/07/2025

It's been a very dodgy couple of weeks in the workshop as we all caught Covid and gave up the struggle to work through it. However, we made some pretties, some replacement knife sheaths, a wolf mask or three whilst Freyja, our savage watchdog, was caught on guard duty... We are all caught up with old orders now but as always new orders keep coming in. Life is wonderful like that!

14/06/2025

Another long month punctuated by a beautiful hand stitched knife sheath; a student's first leather project, a dinosaur archery quiver set, an amusing book title and finishing off with COVID, just for fun!
I love my job!

31/05/2025

The past month or three have been very busy here at Barefoot Leather. Interesting projects including one of the biggest knives I've ever made a sheath for, enthusiastic and happy students, Green Man festival orders and generally lots of leathery nonsense. I even found an 'anti road rage' motorcycle...

25/02/2025

Celtic knotwork guitar strap, one of my lovely students wearing the belt she just made and a cat without a sense of humour. It’s been fun!

02/02/2025

This exceedingly skilled man makes everything look so easy. Watch to the end!

Watch this mesmerizing journey as the hammer orchestrates a symphony with metal, crafting not just a coffee pot but a masterp...