REED© Leather HIDES - Whole Skin 7 to 10 SF - Soft Suede Both Sides for Crafts (Suede - Black)

I’ve now ordered three different colors of this leather, each on separate orders. All three were excellent hides. Smooth natural surface on one, out, side , rough surface on the other, in side. . Some have complained of the quantity not being 7-10 sf. All three hides I received were in the 7- 8.5 sf range. They ran around 34 inches long by 32 inches wide. All were one complete hide. I received no half hides or pieces. That’s the usable portion. Legs and neck are outside that rectangle and would actually increase the sf of the hide. If my ,long ago ,math skills are accurate 34” x 32 ” = 1088” divided by 144” = approx 7.5 square feet. A square foot being 12”x12” or 144 “. Smaller than most folks imagine I’m thinking.They run 1-2 mm thick. Thinner at the edges. Thicker towards the middle , they are natural sheep hides after all. The color was consistent across the hides and there were no tears or holes in the usable “rectangle” of the hides. These are way to thin for holsters, belts or knife sheath. You will need 7-8 ounce “tool leather” for those. They work great for projects that call for lighter leather.Very nice quality natural genuine leather hides.31 May 2018. I’ve now bought two more hides. Same as my above reviews.For Andrew:31x31 = 961 divide by 144 = 6.6736 sf. Darn close to 7 sf. The 5 hides I’ve bought have run a bit larger than that. Yes I’m only measuring the choice rectangular portion. Not the entire hide. A 96 x25 inch long hide would be more like a 1/3 split from cattle. A 96 x25 sheep hide is more likely 3 sheep hides seamed together. Not a single sheep. These hides are more likely than not from butcher age sheep and or goats. Not at the animals maximum attainable size. Plus imported.Perhaps a farm visit would help. Lol

The hide was nice and soft with even color.

I was using this to make Christmas presents--travel cord accessory rolls (see pic). I liked that the piece I got was fairly rectangular so I didn't have a lot of waste material. I ordered a second batch in a different color. While that piece was smaller, I could still get the same number of pieces because of the shape. I also appreciate the quality of the material. I will order again.

I have used this for two Bible rebinds. Nice supple leather for either cover or liners. Wish I could get a ton of this stuff and it not be so explensive.

Pros: Product is in good condition. Shipping was prompt. Color is even throughout (i.e. not patchy or overly mottled). Consistent thickness (but not very thick). "Feel" is very nice (smooth, even, etc.)Cons: The product description does not list the thickness of the hide. If I had known how thin it was going to be, I would not have ordered it. The only clue to that is the mention of "soft leather garments." I took a chance, mainly because I have a sheepskin shearling coat and thought it would be roughly the same thickness (minus the wool, obviously).Recommendations:- Do: Use this product in places where the leather itself does not need to provide any structure to what you're crafting. Gloves, a thin wallet, a bag or drawstring pouch, etc. With careful stitching, it would make a nice steering wheel cover. If you think of this as roughly the equivalent of felt cloth, you'll do fine.- Don't: Use this product if you need thicker leather. Anything that needs structure (e.g. purse, knife sheath, belts, etc.) or is protective in nature (e.g. bracers, archer's wrist guard) should use another product. (NOTE: I do not believe that there is any such product on Amazon. Please post a comment about this review if you know of any.)Other comments:- Other reviewers have complained about small holes in edges. These (I believe) are from the stretching and tanning process. Our hide had two such holes, but they were easily trimmed away and didn't detract from the overall quality of the product in any way.- We had intended to make a leather pouch for a renfaire costume. We did manage to create one, but it was too cloth-like to maintain its internal structure. We were able to brace it with some cardboard (I'll probably use some thin pine later), so it wasn't a total loss. There was enough leather left over to make a couple of drawstring pouches, which turned out nice.

I ordered the tan colored hide. I received two separate pieces, one appearing to be a nearly full hide, the other about half. Together they are around the advertised sq ft of 7 or so. They are not of uniform color, I would call it mottled. They are thin, very soft, and pliable.I was wary about ordering because of other reviews stating it may not be real leather, it wasn't close to the stated 7-10sqft, it had holes and imperfections, etc. Maybe other colors are questionable, but the tan color is absolutely real leather, and perhaps I was lucky as mine had no holes and was the advertised sq ft. It has some imperfections, but none that make those parts not usable.This was an excellent price for some very nice, thin leather. If you need your leather to have some rigidity to it, this may not work for you. It is excellent for my project and I was pleasantly surprised.

Soft and plyable easy to use

I intend to make a handbag with this leather; I am pleased with this hide. I will buy more in the future.