Upcoming Classes
Book in a Box.
Learn how to make a hardbound, hand stitched, book and a beautiful matching slipcase to keep your book in.
This is an ideal course for those who would like to start bookbinding or those who wish to brush up their skills. It is also ideal preparation for attending a book and page repair course. We will be using a choice of beautiful papers for the end papers and to line the slipcase.
You will leave with the skills to reproduce this again at home. All materials, tools and equipment will be provided. Suitable for beginners
Stapleford Granary has car parking and is within walking distance of Shelford Railway Station
Miniature books are always admired and loved.
In this class you will learn how to scale things down and produce a selection of beautiful miniature books that will be fully functioning and useable. You will make a leather long stitch book as well as some different hardbound and folded book structures. These will make ideal gifts, keepsakes, necklaces or even Christmas tree decorations.
All materials will be provided, suitable for beginners.
Stapleford Granary has car parking and is within walking distance of Shelford Railway station.
During this one day class you will learn how to make your own A5 soft leather long stitch sketchbook, lined with a beautiful Japanese paper.
These gorgeous books will be filled with a heavy weight Fabriano paper and finished with either a leather tie closure or a metal stud.
You will have the opportunity to design your own stitching patterns to make your book more individual but don't worry there will be examples to help you. The photograph shows a range of beautiful books made in a class.
There will be a selection of coloured leathers and coloured threads to choose from.
The paper used for the sections makes these ideal as both sketchbooks or journals and perfect for using if you come to the Sketchbook Diaries Class with Chrissie Nicholls.
Suitable for beginners.
Sketchbook Diaries
With Chrissie Nicholls, the author of ‘The Diary of an Artist in Lockdown’.
Learn ways and tricks to document your life visually, using collage, hand lettering, illustration, maps and so much more.This packed workshop will give you the confidence to start recording not just the wonderful things that happen in life, but also the small details and the tricky moments.
We all know journalling is good for our souls and peace of mind but not everyone can sit and write, some of us want to include drawings and some of us speak in images rather than with words. We’ll also cover sketchbook nerves and how to overcome that first mark on the page.
If you can draw, think you can’t draw, haven’t drawn for a while, then this workshop is for you. All levels welcome, everyone will learn something and take away a sketchbook and head full of ideas!
Please bring one of your hand made books with you to use for this workshop.
More information about Chrissie can be found here: www.inkpotandpen.com Instagram @inkpotandpen
During this class we will make 3 items: Two stationery containers, a pen pot and a hexagonal tray, along with a post it note book. Ideal gifts for the forthcoming festive season.
There will be a selection of beautiful papers to choose from including Japanese chiyogami and marbled papers and co-ordinating buckram which is a sturdy book and box covering material.
All equipment and materials will be provided along with step-by-step demonstration and practice.
Stapleford Granary has car parking and is within walking distance of Shelford Railway Station.
Doug Mitchell, a highly experienced book conservator, will lead the day, under his guidance and tuition you will learn the basics of book repairs using a variety of cloths, papers, tissues and adhesives. Through a mix of demonstration and practice you will learn how to: Deconstruct a book in a safe and systematic fashion, repair both individual pages and sections, prepare your book should it require resewing, replace the end papers, undertake any repairs to the cover in order to allow new material to be added.
*Please note - To get the most out of this one day class I would recommend that you have some bookbinding experience and that you have made a 'cased in' book, to enable you to understand how to deconstruct your book for repair.
All materials and equipment will be provided, but you will need to bring with you one or two hard cover cloth bound books, no bigger than A5 and with a stable book block, (as time is limited), that you are happy to replace the end papers on.
Boxes! How we love boxes! Join me and make your own lidded box that closes with a satisfying click due to the incorporation of magnets. A selection of decorative papers will be available to choose from as well and co-ordinating buckram which is a sturdy book and box covering material. You will learn through demonstration and practice the all important skills of measuring, cutting and covering. Participants will leave with one completed box along with instructions and skills to reproduce another at home.
Would you like the opportunity to work on your own project but struggle with motivation or space at home? Or just want some company of like minded bookbinders?
If so, this is an ideal chance to spend time in my studio where you can use my tools and equipment to work on a project of your choice using your own materials. However if you would like me to prepare any boards for you do let me know in advance and I can advise you of the cost.
There are a range of presses and sewing frames available to use as well as my usual tools kits and cutting mats.
I will be on hand to offer some guidance but this is not a teaching session - as I am likely to be working on my own project, or preparing for forthcoming classes alongside you.
Boxes! How we love boxes! Miniature boxes perhaps even more so.
Join me and make 2 lidded boxes; one will close with the satisfying click of magnets and the other is a beautiful hexagonal shape. Please note - There will be some measuring and cutting of board required in this class. A selection of decorative papers will be available to choose from and co-ordinating buckram which is a sturdy book and box covering material.
You will learn through demonstration and practice the all important skills of measuring, cutting and covering. Participants will leave with 2 completed boxes along with instructions and skills to reproduce others at home.
During this class you will learn to make a box with a stitched lid, following a traditional Japanese Stab bound pattern. You will have the opportunity to learn how to have a magnetic fastening for your box too. The inside of your box will be covered with beautiful Japanese paper and the outside in a co-ordinating buckram, which is a sturdy book and box covering material, of your choice. You may decide to have the lid and plinth in one colour and the sides in another. You will learn (through demonstration and practice) the all-important skills of cutting and covering. Although we will work to the same template there will be the opportunity to personalise your box with the covering and lining materials and your choice of thread. Participants will leave with one completed box along with instructions and skills to reproduce another at home.
During this class you will learn to make a box with a stitched lid, following a traditional Japanese Stab bound pattern. You will have the opportunity to learn how to have a magnetic fastening for your box too.
The inside of your box will be covered with beautiful Japanese paper and the outside in a co-ordinating buckram, which is a sturdy book and box covering material, of your choice. You may decide to have the lid and plinth in one colour and the sides in another.
You will learn (through demonstration and practice) the all-important skills of cutting and covering. Although we will work to the same template there will be the opportunity to personalise your box with the covering and lining materials and your choice of thread.
Participants will leave with one completed box along with instructions and skills to reproduce another at home.
In this one day class you will learn how to make a hardbound, hand stitched, half bound book. An opportunity to dip your toes into the wonderful world of bookbinding or expand your skills.
We will be using a choice of beautiful papers for covers and buckram or bookcloth for the spine and corners.
You will leave with the skills and materials to reproduce this again at home.
All materials, tools and equipment will be provided. Suitable for beginners
During this one-day class you will learn a 'speedy' leather or vegetarian ‘washable paper’ binding and then construct your own refillable journal with a mixture of papers, envelopes and pockets to suit you, finished off with an elastic closure.
This structure is ideal as a Travel Journal or Gardening Journal and would also make a fabulous Cookery Journal with places to pop all those quickly-jotted recipes from friends or the treasured notes from family. The choice will be yours on the day.
Lots of appropriate cover papers will be available but if you have a special one in mind, please bring it along.
Suitable for all, whether you are a beginner or wanting to learn a new book structure.
Stapleford Granary has a car park and is within walking distance of Shelford Railway Station.
In this last and more festive Open Studio Session of 2024, as well as offering my usual support and advice and space for you to work on your own projects, if you would like to, we will be making some origami Christmas decorations.
As usual please do bring along your projects to work on.
The Sewn Boards Binding, brought to prominence by American binder Gary Frost, is the subject of many conversations and variations and with good reason. As well as being an adaptation of ancient Ethiopian binding techniques it also looks 'bang up-to-date' with its crisp edges and streamlined opening ability. It is a great extension to existing binding skills and is also a very helpful starting point for new binders as it does not require the traditional casing-in process! As with other classes, this workshop is taught so that you can repeat at home.
All equipment and materials required will be provided along with step by step demonstration and practice.
Clamshell Box This is a beautiful enclosure to learn and use. It is practical as a casing for books but also for prints, drawings, photographs, music sheets and other flat items. It consists of two three-sided trays that fold elegantly into one another and when made, it is a delight to hear the air rush out of the box as you close it thereby leaving the contents safe and protected from dust.
During this one day class we will construct a clamshell box using a mixture of buckram and decorative papers, you will leave with your completed box and for 'homework' the materials to make a hardbound book that will fit into it.
This class is best suited to those with some previous experience of bookbinding or box making.
Over this full weekend of bookbinding you will learn the techniques to complete four beautiful book structures along with a lined slipcase to hold your treasured prototype collection. All of the skills you will learn can be 'mixed and matched' so that you have a myriad of design possibilities after the course. You will make a Quarter Bound Single Section, a Hard Bound Journal, along with a Japanese Stab stitch book and a Concertina binding, finishing the weekend with a lined slipcase.
All materials and equipment are included in the fee and you will also be provided with most of the the materials to reproduce these books at home.
Stapleford Granary has a car park and is within walking distance from Shelford Railway Station
"In bookbinding, a dos-Ã -dos binding (from the French meaning "back-to-back") is a binding structure in which two separate books are bound together such that the fore edge of one is adjacent to the spine of the other, with a shared lower board between them serving as the back cover of both. When shelved, the spine of the book to the right faces outward, while the spine of the book to the left faces the back of the shelf; the text of both works runs head-to-tail." (Straight from Wikipedia!)
We will be stitching two multi sectioned book blocks to make our Dos -Ã -Dos book.
Slight controversy over the title of this binding as the inventor (Anne Goy) wishes it to be known as CrissCross Binding but let's not split hairs or threads. This one is a beauty combining the best of western and Japanese bindings resulting in a closed spine which lies flat when open; a very versatile book that can be used as a journal, sketchbook or even photograph album.
This workshop is suitable for everyone whether you are a beginner or are looking to learn a new technique. All equipment and materials will be provided along with step-by-step demonstration and practice.
Stapleford Granary has a car park and is close to Shelford railway station.
In this half day class you will learn how to make a hardbound, hand stitched, quarter bound book. An opportunity to dip your toes into the wonderful world of bookbinding.
This is an ideal class for those who would like to start bookbinding. We will be using a choice of beautiful papers for covers.
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