As well as providing a means for mounting photographs, albums are very useful for displaying postcards, two-dimensional artwork or ephemera. Unlike binding a printed text, albums must be able to accommodate the thickness of what you attach to its pages, so require special attention to the construction of the spine. The tutor, who specialises in book structures, has devised a special spine that fulfils this requirement and is both unusual and very attractive. During this course, you will create an album unlike any other that will leave store bought albums a thing of the past.

We begin by learning how to fold a perfect concertina, which forms the core of the spine. Thin board is used to pack out the folds of the concertina, giving the compensation needed for the album leaves.A hard cover is made and attached to the spine. The fun of this type of album lies in the possibilities of colour combinations for all of its elements. Participants will be able to use beautifully decorated papers and colourful covering material.

The albums can be made to any size and students are asked to bring in photos or other material for mounting.

Part of the first day will be spent learning about the various properties of paper and its correct use in hand binding. Some time is also spent on becoming familiar with basic tools and equipment. If time allows we well also construct a container for the album.

On the final day the week's work is brought together for an informal critique and students will have a chance to see and discuss what has been produced.

If you have the following please bring with you: self healing cutting mat, steel ruler (at least 24”), scalpel or craft knife, scissors, pencil, set square.

The skills learned in this course will be applicable to any further bookbinding courses undertaken in the future as the same principles apply.

There is no specific reading to do beforehand and there is no need to come with any prior knowledge. The class is suitable for beginners and experienced binders.

Lori Sauer

About Lori

Lori Sauer is an award winning binder with pieces held in public and private collections across the UK and abroad. She is a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders, recently serving a 4 year term as its President. She works in all areas of binding including restoration but contemporary design binding is her main interest with innovative structures being of particular interest. She teaches at Salisbury and runs BINDING re: DEFINED. You can view her work at http://www.beechingstoke.plus.com/personal/lori_sauer.html Her home is in Wiltshire.