E.L.Freeman Leather Goods & Saddlery is proud to be an Australian owned small business with all leather goods and rope products hand made by Ellen in the workshop right here in Australia.

Based near Wauchope, NSW, each piece is made to high standards with quality and longevity in mind and great attention to detail. Using quality materials and hardware, everything is hand done from start to finish – cutting, edging, burnishing, sewing and more, with the aim to produce quality pieces that are beautifully made, will last and are functional.

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How it started

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Ellen's interest in leather work was sparked at a young age volunteering at the heritage theme park in her home town of Wauchope NSW. Working with draught horses & the bullock team, as well as being surrounded by a variety of heritage trades, it was here she began dabbling in leather work, doing stockwhip repairs and re-plaiting old whips, learning as she went, before moving on to harness repairs and saddlery pieces, finding an ability & love for leatherwork along the way. Years later, after working in retail for a number of years, she stumbled across a tannery selling redhide for whip making, and so it began...

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Established in 2013, E.L.Freeman was started on her parents front veranda with a roll of leather, a small box of tools and a desire to make quality leather goods that were made from real leather and would last. After making a whip and a bridle, she threw herself in at the deep end making matching heavy horse showing sets and hasn't looked back since. Now with a dedicated workshop, Ellen has just a few more rolls of leather and a couple more tools. She has developed a large and varied range of quality products and is pleased to still offer custom made to order and now corporate orders.

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Ellen is passionate about her work with a great eye for detail and loves what she does. A dream come true, she never thought she'd make a career out of leatherwork and certainly didn't see herself running a business. Self taught along the way, the business has grown into the success it currently is today with a lot of hard work in between. Customers are often amazed that the pieces are hand made, they aren't mass produced and are made right here in Australia, something which Ellen is very proud of.

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Whilst leather work is still regaled as a bit of a 'dying art', Ellen hopes to play a small part in reinvigorating the craft through her workmanship. Others are inspired by her work and she hopes that people will continue to be inspired and to support small business and handmade goods here in Australia.

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Proudly Australian Made by hand, in a small rural town.

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If you would like to see Ellen's work in person, we attend various shows, events and markets throughout the year as time permits. To find out the next event we will be at follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

We are also proud to be involved as an artisan at the Lost Trades Fair, which is held annually.

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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more pictures and updates.

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