https://www.facebook.com/103026508798278/

Hug Hide

Directions

I make and repair leather items such as bags, bike seats, belts, dog collars, leads and horse tack.

11/10/2026

This weekend I took a break from making my L3 harness to make a log carrier bag - which is going to be a Christmas present. I got the pattern off Etsy and it was pretty easy to make but used a lot of leather. I also made a leather box for one of my husband’s tools. I used the last piece of a brown harness back so the leather was thick and greasy and I made up the pattern as I was going along and it went quite well and he is pleased so that’s good - it’s worth using up the belly end of a hide to keep the old man happy!

03/10/2026

It’s fun to make things that are going to be given as presents. So much kind thought goes into the conception that, as the maker, you can’t help but get excited about how they are going to be received (almost as much as the person who is doing the giving).

Here is yesterday’s birthday present. It’s made from dark havana English bridle leather with blue stitching and royal blue padding and piping, solid brass fittings and a nameplate.

16/09/2026

Remember my Two Ronnies headcollar, which was a copy of a Victorian military draught horse headcollar? You have already seen my beautiful Irish Draught horse modelling it, but here it is being worn by the magnificent, the one and only, Ronnie himself!

P.S. I’m told that he keeps it for best. He has his Trigger’s broom headcollar for everyday and as I’m always fixing that he’s under strict instructions not to break or chew this one!

13/09/2026

For those who were interested in my horse hair insert memorial browband, here it is being modelled by its handsome new owner. I hope it brings the spirit of his mother when he goes out to dressage.

08/09/2026

I was really touched by the friendship that led to the making of this browband.

After a lovely lady lost her heart horse, she wanted to keep a piece of her close so she attached a lock of her tail hair to the mare’s son’s bridle. Her amazing friends knew there had to be a better way to honor her memory rather than attaching her hair with the usual equestrian combination of plaiting bands and baler twine!

Using stealth and cunning, they managed to get their hands on a bit more of the tail hair without her knowing and sent it to me to turn into a surprise keepsake browband.

I was excited about this project because I loved the story and also, while I’ve done plenty of tail hair bracelets - which are essentially the same construction - I’ve not made a tail hair browband before.

Sometimes I get sent whole tails 😢 but in this case it was a rather skimpy amount and I was worried that it wouldn’t produce a long enough plait (kumihimo needs the hair to be around 3 times the length of the final plait) but it turned out great!

Top tip for anyone turning kumihimo tail hair plaits into bracelets or browbands: if you attach a jewellery end cap to each end of the plait using 2-part epoxy, it creates a neat finish and also makes it possible to add beads.

Here is the end result. I also made her a little tassel from the left overs which you can see here if you look closely. It is intended that this should be removed before using the browband 😁

28/08/2026

I took a break from harness work today and enjoyed making this hunting flask holder. I still find it exciting to take a flat piece of leather and turn it into something three dimensional. The case this is replacing was probably made in the early 1900s as it takes a glass flask that has a built-in glass straw and these were made in the period spanning from the 1880s to the 1910s and were designed to allow the rider to take a drink with one hand and keep hold of the reins with the other. I’m hoping this will also last over 100 years!

18/08/2026

I’ve not posted much recently because it’s been so blooming hot and I’ve still got all this harness to make. Looking for something easy to do in 35 degree heat I thought I’d make the hip strap - I’ve made one of these before and thought it would be a good job for when you are feeling hot and bothered. I was wrong - this thing had around 130 inches of stitching (that’s 1040 stitches). I got there in the end and have now concluded that there are no easy bits to making a harness - silly me!

In between armfuls of thread I’ve done a few small jobs - new floof on a grackle noseband; a knife sheath - I went for super shiney edges. Finally I made a memorial bracelet and keyfob and there was such a lovely piece of tail left over that I made a tassel out of it as I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. The plait with the mix of hair and rainbow thread was a bit of an experiment that didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. I think it may end up on a rocking horse.

Oh, and there was Pablo - a little skewbald version of him. I hope he will bring some comfort to his owner.

11/08/2026

If you’ve got a good quality bridle (this is an original Albion KB bridle) and it doesn’t fit your current horse, it’s worth contacting your local saddler to see if they can adjust it for you.

I shorted the bit cheekpieces, the noseband cheekpieces, the throatlash and I moved one of the noseband cheeks to make it shorter across the front to stop it from drooping. I also fixed one of the headpiece loops.

It was a quick job and just look at the difference. It could be coincidence but Zutano looks much happier wearing the adjusted bridle than he does when it was too big. He also looks a lot smarter and will be more comfortable in a correctly fitted bridle.

This bridle has sentimental value as it originally belonged to a horse that has sadly passed away but now it can continue his legacy.

07/08/2026

This was a nice rewarding project that didn’t take too long.

It’s a bag that a friend’s mum bought while on holiday in Ibiza in the 1970s. The lacing round the edge had perished and she repaired it herself, a couple of times by the looks of it, with a shoelace and a leather thong. But this did not last and at some point it got stashed at the back of the wardrobe. It was recently uncovered and both Sarah and her mum realised what a nice piece it was so sent to me for a refurb.

If you are into leatherwork and you’ve not done lacing before, give it a go, it’s a lot of fun and very rewarding.

Here are some before and after pics starting with sad little bag needing a bit of TLC and ending in proud bag, ready to go out and do some partying!

I really enjoyed this job. Thank you Sarah for trusting me with it.

30/07/2026

Remember the bridle I made that had two nosebands and three browbands? Well I fitted it to Milo this morning and his mum, who does not “do” bling, opted for the blingiest of the two blingy browbands (there is a dark purple one left in 17.5” if anyone wants one).

So Milo, who is quite blingy himself, now has a smart new bridle with interchangeable flat and padded nosebands and two browbands, one for showing and one for dressage.

I’m really pleased with how this came out. Connemaras are not the easiest to fit as they have triangular shaped heads and I think this looks pretty good on him.

They are off to Hickstead in the not too distant future and it will have an outing there. Good luck Milo!

Address

Cambridge

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hug Hide posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your business to be the top-listed interior service in Cambridge?