Hand Bookbinding Class

I love library programs. When my kids were small, library craft day was a big deal.  The three of us would go and make something delightful — if  not permanent — the joy was in the making.  When my kids outgrew the children’s space and no longer wanted to make pretend eggs and coffee in the mini kitchen set, or stage a dinosaur train reenactment between the bookshelves, the magic of library crafts faded for them while my excitement to create in the library stayed strong.  What I discovered was adult crafts and programs hosted by the library.   

The most recent program I attended was a Hand Bookbinding Class.  Every bit as awesome as it sounds!  First, I must give Laura Jackett kudos for writing her own grant, winning that grant, and bringing amazing classes to rural libraries. If you would like to learn more about her awesome work check out www.laurajackett.net and if you are in the WNY area you can keep a look out for one of her grant-funded workshops.  

I love when things are well-organized and I understand how I am supposed to start something new.  Laura had all the needed supplies and tools organized on a round table with clear labels indicating when you needed to take multiples of something.   I carefully chose beautiful dragonfly paper for the outer cover and considered all the green shades of paper for an inner cover. When I had all my supplies ready, I had a fleeting thought of “how will I ever make another?”  I didn’t know what all of these items were, and the paper and binding supplies seemed quite special.  Thankfully part of the workshop included explaining  where we could find materials locally or online. One item that stuck with me is PVA glue. (See what I did there?)  PVA glue is known as bookbinding or archival glue. It dries clear and won't age unpleasantly.  I also learned that PVA glue is both good and bad.  It is good because it dries very very fast. It is bad because, well, it dries very very fast.  

My favorite part of the experience was using the awl to poke holes before I began to sew. It was satisfying to arcuately poke the 3 holes in each paper and have them line up beautifully for my sewing needle.  Some of the others in the workshop played with waxed thread length to leave a tail long enough to be a bookmark. A very adorable feature.  

I appreciated that the techniques taught would work for any size book.  The miniature book lends itself to a delightful gift, or a small safe spot to write down big thoughts.  I hope you get to attend a library program or workshop soon too. It's really great fun.