Come in and make yourselves a Tome: Bookbinding Workshop with the LCBA

Still here after that appalling pun? Excellent, I think we're going to be friends.

Like many of our crafty mates out there, we do love a good workshop. And as good workshops go, I can whole heartedly recommend a spot of bookbinding with the London Centre for Book Arts.

The actual workshop that we attended was hosted on the airy top floor of the inimitable Foyles Bookshop. I think the run of workshops based here was just a summer thing, but the hands-on joy certainly continues back at LCBA's HQ in our old stomping ground of Hackney. Do check out their upcoming schedule.

Here are the fruits of our labour:

I don't have as many photos to share of the actual workshop as I might have liked. I was too caught up in the actual bookbinding and taking photos was slightly forgotten (clearly I'm not a proper blogger!)

The workshop was taught by a lovely fellow by the name of Simon Goode, with two glamorous assistants whose names I am ashamed to say I did not catch. Simon was both a patient and amusing teacher. We enjoyed his dead-panning: "Has anybody here not threaded a needle before?" etc.

We began with a brief introduction to the bookbinders art and the tools of the trade:

As predicted by Simon, I honestly don't know how I've made it through 31 years on this earth without a bone folder. So handy.

Our first project was a basic 3-hole pamphlet book. There was a range of pre-printed covers available in brilliantly bright colours. These were letterpressed (of course) and we actually managed excellent not-geeking-out over this.

As we are Sam and Sam, of course that's 2 S's. One orange, one golden yellow:

Look at the grain from the wood type. Gorgeous!

The process is fairly simple for this style of binding, but as with everything we did, I think it's pretty easy to do it, it's not so easy to do it well. Does that make sense?

Here's my cover mid-stitch:

You can choose to finish the stitching on the inside or outside of the book, we did one of each, I think I prefer inside myself:

Last job is trimming to get it looking all neat and proper:

Our second project was the slightly more complex and rather fiddly Japanese Stab Binding. Again, very achievable at a basic level, but an absolute bugger to complete to a high standard. We will definitely need a lot more practice!

This method employs thinner paper, folded on the fore edge (ooh, technical) instead of the spine side, and the book block can be held together with clips whilst you work:

Sticking on the corners was actually the hardest job and it was only after the fact that we realised our chosen material sort of looked like sticking plasters  :(

The binding up-close:

Our finished notebooks! His and hers, but the other way round from what you'd expect. It takes a real man to make a pink notebook apparently:

To sum up, this will certainly mark the beginning of plenty more bookbinding adventures for us. We're hoping to produce our very own letterpressed notebooks very soon, and I'm really keen to have a go at case binding next time. 

Do go and check out the LCBA if you get a chance. Wonderful people teaching marvellous old-school skills!