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Upcoming Workshops // Winter/Spring 2022

December 28, 2021 by Erin Fletcher

FEBRUARY
Secret Belgian Binding
2 Days // February 12 & 13 (Saturday – Sunday)
8:30am – 4:30pm
In-Person Workshop @ North Bennet Street School in Boston

The Secret Belgian binding, also known as Criss Cross binding, was developed by Anne Goy in the mid-1980s and is influenced by traditional Japanese binding styles. The binding is simple and easy to construct; it opens flat and is perfect for thinner text blocks. Students will construct 3 variations of this structure, including a style which uses Tyvek as the binding agent.

Box Series
4 Sessions // February 15 – 24 (Tuesday and Thursday evenings)
6:00 – 8:30pm (EST)
Sign-up by February 3 to receive your material kit!

Boxes come in all shapes and sizes. In this workshop, we’ll look at just three examples: French-Tray with Drop Spine, Clamshell and Japanese Box Case. Students will learn how to assemble these three styles of boxes while also discussing the ways to measure for custom box-making. This workshop will give you the foundational skills to build and modify your own boxes. It will also explore different ways of creating closures for boxes.

MARCH
Fundamentals of Bookbinding I
5 Days // March 14 – 18 (Monday – Friday)
8:30am – 4:30pm
In-Person Workshop @ North Bennet Street School in Boston

Students will learn the foundations of bookbinding by combining hands-on exercises and discussion. The class starts by exploring non-adhesive structures: soft cover pamphlet, Coptic, historical longstitch and link stitch. The class ends with a look at case bindings, with the creation of two hardcover flatback bindings. Students also learn different structural elements, sewing variations, covering and cutting techniques using various materials, tools and equipment. Throughout the course discussions will cover terminology, paper grain and folding, selecting proper materials and tools, and adhesives and their properties.

Flatback Case Binding
2 Sessions // March 26 & 27 (Saturday and Sunday)
10:00am – 1:00pm (EST)
Sign-up by March 15 to receive your material kit!

The Flatback Case Binding is one of the most common and recognizable structures today. In this workshop, students will learn foundational binding skills to assemble two different styles of covering known as quarter cloth and half cloth. The Flatback Case Binding is easy to construct and is perfect for small publications, artist books, journals and more.

APRIL
Choose Your Own Adventure: Non-Adhesive Bindings
1 – 4 Sessions // April 5 – 14 (Tues and Thursday evenings)
6:00 – 9:00pm (EST)
Sign-up by March 24 to receive you material kit!

This workshop is designed to cover a range of non-adhesive structures, just a small handful of the multitude of ways to sew a book. Non-adhesive bindings are great for any skill level, but beginner binders will learn fundamental sewing skills and work with a range of materials. Build this workshop for your skill level and your budget. Sign up for any number of workshops: 1, 3 or all 4! Receive $20 if you sign up for all 4.

Choose Your Own Adventure:
Session 1 – Coptic
Session 2 – Link & Long Stitch
Session 3 – Historical Long Stitch
Session 4 – Single & Double Raised Cords

Limp Vellum Binding
2 Days // April 9 & 10 (Saturday and Sunday)
8:30am – 4:30pm
In-Person Workshop @ North Bennet Street School in Boston

With the advent of printing in the 15th century books were printed in larger quantities creating a higher demand for bookbinders. Limp binding structures came about as a way for binders to quickly construct an elegant and durable binding for this new demand. This beautiful style of binding is suitable for conservation or new bindings. Students will learn the proper sewing pattern for this structure, create hand-sewn endbands and how to properly fold the cover before lacing in the text block.

Telescoping Box
3 Sessions // April 21 – 28 (Tues and Thursday evenings)
6:00 – 8:00pm (EST)
Sign-up by April 8 to receive you material kit!

In contrast to the clamshell box, this style of enclosure has a completely separate lid that slides off the base. In this workshop, students will construct an inner tray set within a frame for the object to rest. A ribbon will be added for easy retrieval of the object. Students will be able to customize the inner tray to fit an object from their own library.


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  • My name is Erin Fletcher, owner and bookbinder of Herringbone Bindery in Boston. Flash of the Hand is a space where I share my process and inspirations.
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