Almost makes you cry to think of how much leather goes to the landfill, doesn't it ,Pearly? I've skinned several couches myself. At first I was a little self conscious (I live in suburbia) but have had people ask what I'll do with it. When they find out , they are fascinated and supportive. I also take the Ivory and ebony off of old pianos and raid peoples curbside brush collection piles for yew ,ERC and other hard to come by woods. when I bring a load of leaves /brush to the dump , I'm always on the lookout for rose canes and dogwood there as well. New subdivision going in ? Great place to grab the commercially unviable trees like Hop hornbeam ,Dogwood, Small elm and hickory.
That's the way it should be done! Keep it up !