HappyHide Original Vegan Leather 0.55mm

*Please Note: HappyHide sheets are now sent folded. You can iron out the creases with a steam iron or you might prefer them like this and even scrunch them up a little more when you receive them for a nicer natural look.

HappyHide is a paper based material, which has been combined with latex to produce a durable, versatile and washable paper. You might recognised this fabric as labels sewn onto many well-known denim jeans products.

HappyHide Original has a very similar surface and feel to smooth paper board. It's quite stiff but will naturally soften when steam ironed or moistened with a spray or moist sponge and get a beautifully natural aged leather look and feel the more you wash it washed (hand or machine).

HappyHide is so easy to sew, a bit like sewing leather or paper. You don't need a teflon foot as i will glide just fine though your standard sewing machine foot. I found the best way to sew it is to use a wide stitch as a narrow stitch will perforate it more and that may weaken the seam, as it's not a woven material with threads running through like cotton for example. You can use a standard needle and thread although I found it looks beautiful stitched with a TopStitch thread and needle. Have fun experimenting with HappyHide, there's so many options! Also it's a good idea to moisten just before you sew with it (with a sponge or spray) and it will become so much more malleable, soft and easier to work with and get under the sewing machine.

One great tip to make HappyHide Original softer and easier to use, (like turning a basket inside out) will be to moisten the piece you are using with a little water, a sponge of water mister will work great. Just massage it a bit with your hands, and you will notice it instantly turning softer even though the surface will feel dry. It's like magic! The water will naturally turn it more pliable and soft so you don't feel you are feeding a massive sheet of card under your sewing machine.  HappyHide Vintage is naturally softer as it's been been pre worked and washed to create that look and feel but would still benefit moisten for added leather like softness.

It works really well in combination with other materials like felt or sewing cottons to create unique stylish items. It can be printed, embossed, sewn, stamped and so much more. You can iron it with stem to make it softer to handle or to iron out creases. Do not iron HappyHide Metallic on the foil side, iron on reverse.  Project ideas include handbags, shopping bags, wallets, purses, desk organisers, jewellery, bag-making… This list is endless.

It is an environmentally friendly and sustainable material, accredited by both the Forestry Stewardship Council and Oeko-Tex. It is widely recognised as a vegan friendly material and a viable alternative to many leather-based products. High quality product manufactured in Europe.

Frumble Fabrics currently stock a small range of HappyHide including their all nine colours of the Original, Vintage and a handful of the Metallic papers. The Original series has a smooth, untreated finish. 

Thickness:  0.55mm
Sheet Size:  50x75cm

Monica has written a blog post here, where you can see how she used the gold HappyHide Metallic to make a label for a pair of handmade shorts!

HappyHide washing suggestions: 

Happy Hide can be washed in just water, with soap, washing powder or other detergents. You can hand wash it in the bath or in a sink/container or even in a washing machine (we have washed it at 30 degrees).

The different methods with give slightly different results. As Machine washing is more intense, it will soften the material a little more. The more your HappyHide is washed, the more the paper shows signs of wear (perhaps like a nice pair of jeans) but it doesn't disintegrate, it just becomes softer.

Treating HappyHide gently in the washes will prolong it's life and quality. 

The Metallic HappyHide, we recommend a gentle hand wash so it does not damage the Metallic foil coating, scrunching it and scrubbing it will create a distress effect that you may or not want.

*You will now receive your Happy Hide sheets folded instead of long card roll box. The reason for this is we were having issues with combining them with other products in the same order. Most of the products (apart from fabric) can't be folded and we were having to send 2 parcels instead of 1. I have tested the folded sheets and iron them back with a hot steam iron or water spray and it irons well. We may work on an option for you to choose to be sent in a roll still.