Bookbinding / Bookmaking Workshop Results

Since I’ve posted two prior blog entries on my plans for introducing bookmaking and specifically introducing students to a few binding models, I thought it appropriate to share a few books I made myself last week. My initial idea was to work alongside students at the workshop instead of hovering and “instructing,” although I did a little of both in the end.

I arrived to class having already made and cut the paper and punching the necessary marginal holes. In the end, I made six books. One was completed before class; three were sewn during the 75 min. session, and two others were completed later that night following class. In all, to give you a sense of time spent on the projects, it took a little over an hour to prepare (to cut and to punch the holes) and about an hour to sew all of these books (keeping in mind that about one-third of the workshop was spent distributing materials and overseeing student work).

The success of the workshop is largely based on your preparation of materials and the students’ preparation in deciding on a model of binding and at least bringing their pre-cut paper. As always, some students had everything ready to go (and some were over-prepared, bringing their own tools and additional decorative materials), while others brought nothing with them. Additional complications, of course, arrive when students plan on working with more complicated bindings not included in my assignment materials and resource/video guide. However, with this latter group, it’s also fun to see students go beyond what you anticipated–one student wanted to make a coptic-sewn book and another had hoped to produce a more complicated Japanese stab binding. Of course, these projects both require more than the time I set aside, so they both left with unfinished books.