BOOKMAKING SHORT COURSE
This short course will be held weekly on a Friday evening from the end of February, introducing you to a range of bookmaking techniques, each a little more complex and advanced than the previous. It's a great alternative way to spend your Fridays doing something relaxed and creative. It will be held in the Short & Few Cabin Ilkley, starting 7pm and finishing around 8.30pm.
The short course takes you from beginner bookmaking techniques and ends with more advanced techniques. You do not need to attend all the sessions and can book on to individual sessions. However, the course has been designed to build in complexity so if you are a beginner, you are advised to attend the first three so that you can build up the basic knowledge and techniques. In each session we will make blank books that you can take away and fill with drawings, poems or lists.
SEE FULL SESSIONS LISTING BELOW
Spaces are limited to 5 people per session, and spaces will be prioritised for those who have booked the full course. If you have any questions about an individual session, please me on email hello@shortandfew.co.uk.
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SHORT COURSE PROGRAMME:
Friday 28th February 2025
SESSION 1: CUT & FOLDS
The first session explores origami and kirigami techniques and how they can be adapted for making simple but effective books. We will practice fundamental techniques, including precise cutting and measuring; and get familiar with the different tools. This session is advised for anyone who has not done any bookmaking before.
Friday 7th March 2025
SESSION 2: PAMPHLET STITCH
Session 2 looks at the "pamphlet stitch" - a simple but fundamental stitching technique for binding multiple sheets of paper together. We will spend the session making multiple books that use the pamphlet stitch in different ways. This session is advised for anyone who has not done any bookmaking before.
Friday 14th March 2025
SESSION 3: HARD BACK BOOK
This session makes use of the pamphlet stitch in the format of a hard-backed book. We will look at techniques for covering boards and how to work with templates for ensuing accurate and consistent stitching that is purposeful as well as aesthetically effective. If you have done pamphlet stitching before, then this session would be suitable as a one-off.
Friday 21st March 2025
SESSION 4: BUTTON HOLE BOOK
Stitching is taken up a level with this knot-based stitch that allows you to combine multiple signatures together, leaving an exposed decoratively stitched spine. This stitch allows the book to lay completely flat when open. If you have done pamphlet stitching before, then this session would be suitable as a one-off if you're looking for a new stitching technique.
Friday 28th March 2025
SESSION 5: CLOTH COVERED BOOKS
This session runs in two parts - this week and next week. In this week we will look at how to create cloth-covered boards, creating a stunning and professional look. We will make use of some of the techniques from session 3, so it would be advisable to have completed that session first. In this session we will prepare our covers to make a Japanese stab stitch book in the final session. The techniques and materials you will learn in this session can be applied to other bookmaking projects.
Friday 4th April
SESSION 6: JAPANESE STAB STITCH
The final session will make use of our cloth-covered boards from the week before. We will bind together these with loose sheets of paper to make a traditional album-style book, that uses the stitching technique to create a decorative spine. We will look at different versions of this stitching technique.