Eames Soft Pad - tear in leather  

Racecar, that was great. I have read it a couple of times and looked closely at the photos and my confidence level is rising all the time.
I'm glad my post motivated you to have a go at that chair, and I'm especially glad you were kind enough to post such a great explanation and take photos.
I'm going to put my two chairs side by side and make sure they are exactly the same and then tackle the blue one first. When I get it pulled apart, I'll see whether I can get rid of that ridiculous 80s floppy blue fabric backing.
If I can get the ugly blue one apart easily, I'll do the nice tan one with the tear. I don't think replacing the seat pad will be a big deal for an upholsterer. I think it's all too thin and fragile to repair. Getting some similar leather will be hard, though. I'll try someone who repairs car upholstery as suggested above and see if they know where that type of leather can be found. I keep forgetting the name of it. Did it start with an 'a'?