• Introduction to hand bookbinding
• Paper types and weights
• Paper grain and direction
• Tools for bookbinding
• Making book signatures
• Stitching the cover and signatures
• Safety

Your journal/sketchbook is more than just a collection of pages. It’s an outlet for your creativity and expression. Why pay for a mass-produced blank book when you can create any number of unique, personalized journals with your individual character, often from materials you already have around the house, or regularly throw away or recycle? Handmade books also make great gifts.

The Coptic stitch binding was developed by early Egyptian Christians (the Copts) around the 2nd Century, evolved from Roman diptychs, hinged wooden tablets coated in wax. The Coptic binding formed the first codex, one or more sections/signatures of folded pages sewn through their folds with a chain stitch that binds the signatures and covers together. The Coptic binding method is also one that can showcase the stitching on the spine of the book, has a clean look, and allows the book to lay flat, which is great for journals, sketchbooks, and photobooks. The basic stitch is simple, but there are many decorative variations, some quite complex.

In this workshop, participants will learn introductory book binding skills, become acquainted with some of the materials and tools used in book binding – including paper types, weights and determining grain direction, and make one or two books with the Coptic stitch binding.

This class does not require prior book binding experience and is suitable for people who have no experience as well as intermediate book binders who would like to learn something new.

All materials and equipment are provided. We will use existing book covers to save time. Participants will be sent instructions for finding a suitable cover or covers to use in this class.