Bookbinding & Artists’ Books – Shibagau Creek Forest Farmstead

April 23, 2025May 12, 2025

Summer 2025 Bookbinding

Two workshops are planned that will cover boxmaking and experimental folded artist’s books, including a potential for collage and alternative printing techniques to create contents for binding.

Boxmaking – July 5-6

Over the weekend we will address the construction of box formats leading to a hinged, clamshell-style box. Covering technique will be explained and practiced.

Experimental Artist’s Books – July 25-27

Various options for making folded artist’s books will be presented and the group may decide to focus on particular techniques. Participants are encouraged to bring visual materials to work with or collect them onsite. A photocopier may be used to create pages or acetates for blueprinting. Sewing and gluing will be simple and appropriate for those without binding experience, while more complex approaches can be selected by those looking to develop more advanced skills.

If you are interested in attending a workshop, please register online or contact us at workshops@scff.ca.Participants may arrive on Friday to stay the weekend at SCFF or arrive for each day’s session. Accommodation arrangements include all meals.

A deposit of $60. will hold your place with the balance due two weeks prior to the workshop.

January 15, 2025February 4, 2025

Drum Leaf Binding

At a one-day workshop in January, with 5 of us at the Sydenham Library, we went through the process of folding, gluing and trimming the binding which has no sewing, which opens up flat and can use a variety of materials for the spine and the board covers. The binding is attributed to American master binder Tim Ely. Peter learned boxmaking and gold leafing from Tim in workshops and boxmaking is high on the wishlist for this summer’s binding adventures.

August 16, 2024February 4, 2025

Hand Bookbinding Workshops 2024 with Peter Sramek

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This summer series of workshops introduced making books by hand, covering basic techniques of folding and sewing books without glue and moving on to historical sewing formats appropriate for a wide range of art and bookmaking projects. They were held in Kingston at the Tett Centre and at the Sydenham Library and Heron Point on Eel Lake.

August 9-11
Handbound Artists’ Books: Introduction to Non-adhesive Binding Structures
$300. plus accommodation if required ($175)

This workshop intensive introduced a range of basic sewn structures and each person made a range of samples over the weekend.

Sydenham Library, Ontario and Heron Point on Eel Lake – August 2024

Future sessions will be organized in different locations and take a similar approach with the possibility of diverse content and emphasis. To express your interest and help with planning these offerings, please fill out this form and subscribe to our mailing list to be informed.

Tett Centre Gallery, Kingston, ON – July 2024

Introduction to Basic Hand Bookbinding

Learn how to easily create small, decorative blank books and later assemble your own contents into book form. This workshop will cover basic folding and sewing of small sample bindings, covering a range appropriate for newcomers to book making: single section pamphlets and stab sewings, albums and multi-section formats with paper covers.
Only basic hand tools are required and all materials will be provided. Bring your lunch.

Linkstitch and Album Binding Structures
This workshop will cover two (or more if we have time) formats adapted from historical bindings which allow for the creation of multi-section books. Decorative spine sewings, as well as a format appropriate for use as albums with inserted contents will be constructed. Once again, we will make a number of blank books with paper covers. This workshop will follow well from the skills covered in the Introduction day. Only basic hand tools are required and all materials will be provided. Bring your lunch.

Express Interest in a Future Workshop