Do you know how to braid leather? How does leather braiding stay on a leather jacket? What is leather braiding made from? Oh I suppose you want me to tell you huh? Hehe, well ok, I’ll let you know what leather braiding is all about. Now they also call it that when they braid a leather whip, but we are not talking about that type here.
What I’m talking about is leather braiding you find on a leather jacket, pants, shorts, saddle bags and all that other leather apparel and motorcycle gear. Leather braiding on a leather jacket can really make it look a lot better, as long as they don’t go to far with it. Often when they put leather fringe on a jacket they sew a leather braid over it so the fringe comes out under the braiding.
It makes it look a lot better that way. You can find leather braiding on just about everything made of leather. From leather jackets to every type of leather apparel, motorcycle gear bags such as saddle bags, even leather purses. So what kind of leather do they make leather braids out of?
Well most of the time it’s the most common types, like cowhide, buffalo and pigskin. They use the split leather so it’s smooth and uniform. They try to use leather that is thick and tough so it will not wear out too fast. A lot of belts are used with leather braiding. The leather is fully treated, just like a jacket.
They also use suede leather for braiding, usually that goes on anything made of suede like a suede leather jacket or shearling sheepskin leather jacket. Now as you can see in the pictures to the left, the type of leather braiding we are talking about often is made with one or both ends one piece. They cut it longways in strips. How many strips depends on how wide the braid will be.
It takes some skill to make a leather braid, as you can see. The loose ends are sew, tied or otherwise held in place on the item it is going on. The length of the leather braid is sewn, glued or both to the leather item. You can put a leather braid anywhere you want on a leather item. On leather jackets the sleeves, shoulders, back, breast and sides are the most common areas.
You can make nice circles, diamond patterns or whatever you can think up to make with them. So, are there any drawbacks to having a leather braid on your leather jacket or item? Well, leather braid is just for looks, nothing more. It does not help in any way, just makes it look better.
Leather braiding can get snagged on something. They can collect dirt and hold water if you get it wet. The leather braids make the item a bit more stiffer. You can get mildew growing in the crack of the braid if your not careful. Putting on leather conditioner and waterproofing is more of a pain because you have to work it into the braiding.
But with a little care they are worth the extra good looks. Just dry it good if it gets wet. Take your time when you apply conditioner and work it in good. Make sure you don’t let any build up in the cracks and sides. Keep your leather jacket clean and hang it up.
If you just use common sense your leather jacket or other item with leather braiding will look great and last as long as the leather jacket or leather item itself, if not longer. So by all means if you like the looks of leather braid, get your leather item with it. Enjoy!