On this course, you will cut, glue, fold and sew your way to four blank handmade books in different styles. These blank books make ideal notebooks, sketchbooks, journals or gifts for special people. This course is carefully structured to include both short and simple tasks and longer projects in order to develop skills and build confidence. All techniques will be fully demonstrated with tips for easy and accurate measuring, cutting, gluing and sewing. You will also have plenty of time to work on your own books. Suitable for all levels of experience, this is a parallel course to Bookbinding for All: Creative Handmade Books. You will make different books on each course and may attend either of them in any order.

Day 1 - tools and materials; make A5 pamphlet stitch book including preparation of covers and inside pages, and sewing

Day 2 - soft back long stitch leather cover notebook (vegetarian option available), including leather and paper trimming and sewing.

Day 3 - commence hard back A6 Codex case bound book with fabric cover, including preparation of fabric, covers and inside pages.

Day 4 - complete Codex case book including preparation of sewing holes, sewing and final glued assembly.

Day 5 - Folded books

Tools and materials

Please bring:

- Scissors

- Basic drawing equipment: pencil, eraser, sharpener

- Basic cutting equipment: sturdy sharp craft knife (not a scalpel as these are too delicate), metal edged ruler, cutting mat (preferably A3 or bigger if you have it)

- Blunt ended sewing needle with large eye eg: tapestry needle size 20

If you have any of the following tools please bring them, but don't feel obliged to purchase them in advance of the course. There will be some sets of tools available to borrow and some tools available to purchase from Janina during the course if you prefer.

- Bone folder

- Awl / braddle (sharp pointy tool for making holes in paper and card)

- Paper knife / clip knife / shoe knife (blunt knife used for slicing paper)

If you have any questions about the tools please contact Janina by email on Janina.maher123@btinternet.com

All materials needed for the course projects are included in the course fee but if you have any decorative or handmade papers you would like to use for covers please bring them.

Janina Maher

BA BSc FCA

About Janina

Janina Maher designs and makes handmade books from her garden based studio, Bind Weed Art Studio. Her ideas are drawn from traditional bookbinding techniques as well as modern interpretations, and she is constantly inspired by the range of beautiful papers now widely available. She has drawn and painted from a young age, encouraged by her graphic designer father. After a parallel existence in the corporate world for many years, she has now decided to focus on a creative life and has been teaching bookbinding and mixed media techniques since 2014.

www.janinamaher.artweb.com