Purchasing the full short course is for all 7 sessions (for the price of 6).
It will be held fortnightly on a Friday from the start of September, and will introduce you to a range of bookmaking techniques, each a little more complex and advanced than the previous. The short course takes you from beginner bookmaking techniques and ends with more advanced techniques. In each session we will make blank books that you can take away and fill with drawings, poems or lists.
It will be held in the Short & Few Cabin Ilkley, starting 7pm and finishing around 8.30pm. There is a maximum of 6 spaces per session; by booking the full course you are guaranteed a spot at each session.
What the course will cover in each session
Session 1: Friday 6th September
Cut and Folds
We’ll play around with four versions of the simple but effective cut and fold technique. This session will introduce you to the basic tools and terminology, creating a good foundation to build the other sessions on.
Session 2: Friday 20th September
Pamphlet Stitch
This session introduces you to a fundamental stitch technique to create ‘signatures’ (your folded sheets of paper), and we’ll experiment with three-hole and five-hole stitches, as well as combining double signatures.
Session 3: Friday 4th October
Simple Hard Back
Applying our knowledge of the pamphlet stitch, this session will show you how to cover board correctly to make ‘hard back’ covers – a technique used in most hard-back books and boxes. We’ll make a multi-signature pamphlet stitch book.
Session 4: Friday 18th October
Japanese Stab Stitch
We’ll build on our basic stitch technique and look at traditional Japanese techniques of decoratively stitching loose sheets into a block. We’ll start with the simple four-hole binding (yotsumi toji) and explore alternatives, including the Kangxi and tortoise shell stitch.
Session 5: Friday 8th November
Coptic Stitch
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.
Session 6: Friday 15th November
Piano Hinge Book
This session steps the bookmaking up a notch into more experimental territory, binding a book with sticks and hinges. This technique creates an ornamental and visually impressive spine.
Session 7: Friday 29th November
Flag Book
Following in the spirit of playful this book adds a kinetic element to bookmaking, opening into a 3D form, with pages that sway in different directions when open.
Bookmaking Short Course (Sept-Oct)
This short course if ideal for beginner or refresher learners, who would like to build their knowledge and confidence with bookmkaing. There is no minimum ability expected, however be mindful that bookmaking requires a moderate degree of hand dexterity (e.g. using a craft knife, using needle and thread).