Instructor: Bari Zaki

There are no group Zoom workshops currently scheduled. That said, the full-length live recording is available, either on its own, or with the option of scheduling a private or semiprivate workshop (in addition to the recording). No previous bookbinding experience is necessary. See the dropdown below for pricing.

What you’ll make: One Japanese 4-hole-bound (Kangxi) book with hard spine & covers. Inside, five hand-folded & hinged pocket pages are interleaved with seven pages of Stonehenge drawing paper. This beautiful book elegantly holds your treasured bits, jots and/or scraps; it is a fabulous (even stealthy!) organizer of ideas, swatches, collections of ephemera &tc.

About the structure: Measures 7⅛ x 7¾ x ¾ with 12 pages: 5 pocket pages & 7 Stonehenge sheets. The pocket height is 3½. Covered in Japanese papers & bookcloth, stitched in the Japanese style with complementary waxed-linen thread. The hinged (pocket pages) and scored (Stonehenge) pages allow the book to lay flat when open, offering easy access to your holdings.

What you’ll learn along the way:

1. How to construct an articulated book cover

2. How to handfold pocket pages

3. How hinges work (we do the math!)

4. How to measure and attach a hinge to a page

5. How to measure and trim spine spacers

6. How to stitch a Japanese 4-hole binding with hardcovers

Your kit includes all the materials (but not the tools) you’ll need to make one Pocket Book:

5 precut pieces of binders board for your cover (2 are 6 x 7¾, 2 are ¾ x 7¾, and 1 is ⅝ x 7¾)

2 pieces of Japanese paper for your front & back covers (6¾ x 9½)

2 pieces of Japanese bookcloth for your spine (1 exterior 4 x 9½ , 1 interior 4 x 7½)

7 sheets of Stonehenge (6¾ x 7½)

5 sheets of Hahnemühle Bugra for your pocket pages (11 x 12½)

5 sheets of Hahnemühle Bugra for your hinges (¾ x 7½)

1 length of waxed-linen thread (complementary, natch) 

2 hinge spacers (1 is 2-ply board, 1 is 3-ply board)

Tools needed: bonefolder as well as a teflon bonefolder (highly recommended), medium awl, triangle ruler, metal ruler, straight bookbinding needle, Xacto knife, glue brush, and PVA glue. You will receive a 20% discount on any tools ordered for the workshop (via refund after your workshop purchase). You can purchase these tools individually here.

Ancillary tools needed: glue-stick, cutting mat, a small cup for your glue, scrap paper for glueing on, a small cloth to keep your fingers glue-free, a heavy weight (or book) for pressing your cover, and, optionally, a small wastebasket for your gluey scrap papers. You will also need a ⅛ hole punch. Once you register for the workshop, I will e you a couple of options for where to purchase this.

Nota bene: If you have the necessary tools but are in need of the glue & glue brush, you’ll find them in a separate shop listing here.

The three cover options shown here (left to right) are: Celebration, Village, and Classic Mums. If you’d like to purchase an additional set of materials, you certainly can. However, you cannot accomplish this in the dropdown menu (because one set of materials is included with the workshop fee). It’s $145 per additional set, with no shipping fee if you order at the same time as your workshop registration. To order additional sets of materials, please e me and I will be in touch extremely promptly.

This recording is 6-ish hours in total. It includes the “natural pauses” from the original workshop session, giving you time to complete the various steps. You can pause the video wherever and as often as you’d like, but you may not need to at all.

To schedule a date & time for a private or semiprivate, add this class to your cart, and then email barizakistudio@gmail.com with your preferred date(s) and time of day. Feel free to call or e me with any questions (773-294-7766 or barizakistudio@gmail.com).

No previous bookbinding experience is necessary; a bit of glueing experience is a plus.

I look forward to sharing my long-standing love of bookbinding, glueing, and beautiful materials with you.