Eildon Collection

The Eildon Collection is inspired by the local hills which form part of the designated Eildon and Leaderfoot conservation area of scenic beauty administered by Scottish Natural Hertitage. This collection reflects the natural beauty of the area.

Every product made from this collection is made from British tanned leather. We don’t have many tanneries left in Britain and even less that tan using the traditional technique of vegetable tanning leather - using tree bark. The tanneries we do have left though, make very high quality leather. From thin calfskin used in the Leaderfoot Range, through the thicker oak tanned leather used in my Oakwood Burn Range.

Leaderfoot Range

The Leaderfoot Range is made from luxurious British tanned calfskin. This leather is beautifully soft and develops a beautiful patina the more you use it. A lot of hand-stitched wallets are made with fairly thick leather. I realise that not everyone who appreciates handmade products wants a bulky wallet. So I have chosen leather that is only 1mm thick but still strong enough to cope with day to day usage.

This leather is too beautiful to waste so I make my page cuffs from the offcuts of the larger items.

This range gets it’s name from the where the Leader Water (local name for river) flows into the famous River Tweed. A beautiful part of my local countryside.

Available in this range: Page Cuffs, Card holders, Journals and Wallets.

Oakwood Burn Range

The Oakwood Burn Range is made from British oak tanned leather, from J&FJ Baker in Colyton, Devon. Britain’s only remaining traditional oak bark tannery. It takes longer to tan using oak - over a year. The English Oak tree is a slow growing tree, which means it takes longer to tan leather but it makes a stronger leather. The tannery works in a sustainable way using free-range hides from local Devonshire free-range farms. The bark is from coppiced oak trees grown in Cumbria. Coppice woods are great for nature diversity as it has trees of different ages and able to support more wildlife. There has been a tannery on there location since Roman times.

I think you can see why I chose to use this leather. I want to make quality products that will last and so using quality leather is important.

This leather is too beautiful to waste so I make my keyrings from the offcuts of the belt.

This range gets it’s name from a burn (Gaelic for fresh water) called Oakwood Burn that runs off the Eildon Hills, that I can see from my workshop. I thought the name worked so well given that the leather used is oak tanned.

Available in this range: Keyrings and Belts (1”, 1.25” and 1.5 widths).

Dryburgh Range

The Dryburgh Range is moulded leather products made from natural vegetable tanned russet (undyed leather). This is the easiest leather mould as it hasn’t had any oils added during it’s tanning process. Everything is done by hand from hand cutting, moulding and shaping by hand through to dying and burnishing the edges. After all these processes I apply a protective coating.

Combing my own leaf designs and moulding by hand results in every leaf being unique. These items can be useful for containing keys and loose change or purely decorative. Some of my customers have even put the leaves up on their wall. The choice is yours how you use it. The organiser trays are perfect for emptying your pockets into and keeping your home organised.

This range gets it’s name from Dryburgh Abbey not far down the River Tweed from Melrose, where my workshop is based.

Available in this range: Moulded organiser trays and Moulded leaves.

Classic Range

The Classic Range is made from the same quality British tanned leather as the Oakwood Burn Range and the Leaderfoot Ranges.

This range was designed for those who appreciate quality leather but want a more classic, simpler design. The same care and attention to detail goes into making and hand-stitching these products. This is not a bespoke range so I am able to hold stock, which is great if you need a product quickly.

The belt has beautiful matching stitching and available in 1.25” width and 3 different lengths. The card holder is a practical book style so can be used for both bank cards and business cards. It can hold 6 bank cards or even more business cards. Available in 3 great colour combinations.

Available in this range: Classic Belt and Classic Card Holder

Bemersyde Collection

I am currently working on a new sustainable collection that I hope to launch soon.

As you will have seen from above I focus on working with British leather. When I first started my business I used leathers from various countries, including Italy. I still have some products made from this leather in stock. I also sometimes get given leather and I don’t know it’s origin, so I can’t include it as part of my Eildon Collection. I don’t want to waste this leather and certainly not throw it out. I believe we should look after our resources. So, I plan to make small batches or one off products with this leather. They will soon be available to buy on my website.

I want to take the sustainable side of my business even further. I had a commission to make items from an old (around 50 years) sentimental saddle. The saddle has been mended many times through the years but it got to the point where it couldn’t be mended anymore. So I was asked to make a card holder, coasters, luggage tag and photo frame out of the saddle. This made me realise how enjoyable it was to give quality old leather a new life. I will be including a service where I repurpose your quality old leather. If you would be interested please send me email with your details.

This Collection get’s it’s name from a local hill call Bemersyde. It is where the famous Scott’s View is. A favourite spot of Sir Walter Scott. The view is amazing of the River Tweed and the Eildon Hills.