Peche Leather
The starting point each of my products is a hide of vegetable-tanned leather. Add linen thread, gum arabic (for burnishing the edges) and some application, and one can create a stylish, practical and hard-wearing object that, with a little maintenance, will look better with age.
My main fly fishing products are bespoke leather reel covers and I am about to add leather rod tubes (again, bespoke) to the range of fishing-based products, so watch this space.
Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Peter Thompson
Our Story
”I have decent reserves of patience, concentration and positivity (traits that work well for fishing too!). All three are essential in leatherwork.
PeterPeche Leather
Each reel cover is bespoke, not least as there are so many shapes and sizes to cater for. They are, in essence, leather discs (I can cut any diameter up to 30cms) sandwiching a broad strap, with either suede or lamb fleece lining.
As every one is cut from scratch, all I need are the dimensions of a reel, your choice of colour (dark brown/black/green) and whether you’d prefer a suede or fleece lining. I can also emboss with initials, if you’d like.
I am not particularly artistic, but have decent reserves of patience, concentration and positivity (traits that work well for fishing too!). All three are essential in leatherwork. Yes, there are many grades of competence to aspire to, but the ability to stitch in a straight line is the foundation of pretty much every object. With advanced stitching, two sheets of leather can be joined along a seam to form a cylinder, or at right angles to create a box.
With hit (and plenty of miss) I undertook a series of projects for friends and family, some never to be repeated, others forming the basis of my modest repertoire today: tote bags (for the uninitiated, a ‘large and unfastened bag with parallel handles’….. I didn’t know either), log baskets and fishing reel covers. I treated myself to a beautiful Hardy reel about 25 years ago and couldn’t quite stretch to the leather reel case at the time. I have now ‘upgraded’ to a bespoke version from a leather hide I selected…..very satisfying.
You’ll see from my ‘posts’ that I occasionally add some photos or videos of work-in-progress. If you are gifting an item and would like me to forward pictures or a short video of any part of the process, just ask and I’d be delighted to do so.