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: A tactile twosome of slim case-bound books with a rounded spine and hardcovers. This style provides the beauty of a case-bound book without needing to use a bookpress. The book opens completely flat and makes a jaunty journal, a sweet sketchbook, or mini memoir.

About the structure: Measures 4⅝ x 6⅛ x ½. Covered in Atelier Écluse Ochre decorative handmade papers (1 ochre + ecru & 1 ochre + slate) with a natural linen bookcloth spine and glued-on headband. The interior pages are AÉ handmade bookweight papers in natural white. Inside are four 8-page signatures with dramatic deckled edges on all three sides (for a total of 64 serendipitous sides).

We begin, as always, with a brief introduction about paper grain and a review of workshop tools. Next, you will fold two AÉ bookweight sheets into four individual 8-page signatures. You will then prepare the spine and stitch the signatures using the French-link stitch. After creating our cover, we will glue in our pages—which is where the magic happens!

Your kit includes all the materials (but not the tools) you need to make two slim case-bound books with rounded spine:

4 pieces of AÉ decorative papers (2 ochre + ecru & 2 ochre + slate): 7 x 11

4 sheets of AÉ bookweight papers: 18-ish x 24-ish

4 pieces of bookboard: 4⅝ x 6⅜

2 pieces of precut linen bookcloth: 2 x 8½

2 pieces of super (mesh): 3 x 6

1 piece of Japanese mulberry paper: 3 x 6

2 pieces of reinforcing paper for your spine: ¾ x 6

1 decorative headband (3-inches)

1 corner spacer

1 spool of unwaxed linen thread

Tools needed: Bonefolder, shipping clerk’s knife, lightweight awl, Xacto-knife, metal ruler, triangle ruler, bookbinding needle (18 gauge), glue brush, PVA glue. You will receive a 20% discount on all tools ordered for the workshop (via refund after your workshop purchase). You can purchase these tools individuallyhere.

Ancillary tools needed: Cutting mat, scrap paper for glueing on, scissors, pencil, a piece of beeswax (not imperative but useful), and two pieces of waxed paper (8” x 10”-ish)

If you have the necessary tools but are in need of the glue and/or glue brush, you’ll find them in a separate shop listing here.

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). To order additional sets of materials, please e me and I will be in touch extremely promptly. It’s $185 per additional set, with no shipping fee if you order at the same time as your workshop registration.

No previous bookbinding experience is necessary; a bit of glueing experience is a plus. You will have ample time during each step to ask questions while we work. If you have any questions now, please feel free to call or e me to discuss!

I look forward to sharing my long-standing love of folding, stitching, glueing and bookbinding with you in this four-ish hour workshop!