Instructor: Bari Zaki

Dates: Saturday, August 23 & 30, 2025 from 10am–1pm (Chicago time)

What you’ll make: A supple, intimate album with two separate articulated hardcovers (front & back) and an exposed spine. The hinged Japanese-folded pages are an elegant way to present a series of photos, artworks, or ephemera. The hinges allow the pages to lie completely flat when the book is open. 

About the structure: The album measures 5" x 6½" x ½". The eight Japanese-fold pages are made of Stonehenge drawing paper and hinged onto a piece of Japanese pure silk bookbinding cloth, from my vintage Aiko’s reserve. The spine edge of the pages are then neatly wrapped with the same Japanese pure silk bookbinding cloth, and held together by two pieces of complementary Japanese traditional flat cording that then appear knotted on the cover.

Session #1: The workshop begins, as always, with a brief introduction about paper grain and a review of the tools we will use. Next we will fold our eight pieces of precut Stonehenge paper in half to create the Japanese-fold pages. Then we’ll attach the Japanese pure silk bookcloth to our Stonehenge spine strips to create the full-height hinges. We will then glue our two articulated hardcovers so that they can press and be ready for binding at Session #2. 

Session #2: We’ll begin by determining the position of the holes for our binding and punch the holes into our cover. Then we’ll use the cover to position the holes in our hinged pages. Next we will wrap the pages in a piece of the same Japanese pure silk bookbinding cloth. And for the finale, we’ll bind the cover & pages together with traditional Japanese flat cording.

​​Your kit includes all the materials (but not the tools) you’ll need to make one Art of the Hinge album:

4 pieces of precut bookboard (2 are 5" × 6" and 2 are ¾" x 5")

8 pieces of precut Stonehenge paper for your pages (5" × 10")

16 pieces of precut Stonehenge paper for your hinges (¾" x 5")

2 pieces of Japanese linen bookcloth (3" x 7")

4 pieces of Japanese decorative paper for the front & back covers and the 2 interior panels (2 are 6" × 7" and 2 are 4¾" x 5½")

8 precut Japanese 100% bookcloth for your hinges (1½" x 5")

1 piece of Japanese 100% silk spine wrap (4 × 7)

2 pieces of Japanese flat cording (6" each)

1 hinge & corner spacer

Nota bene: As always, I will record both lessons as they’re happening, and the recording will be available for you, with no interruptions or delay, later that same afternoon.

Tools needed: Bonefolder, teflon bonefolder (highly recommended), X-acto knife, PVA glue, glue brush. You will receive a 20% discount on all tools ordered for the workshop (via refund after your workshop purchase). You can purchase these tools individually here.

Ancillary tools needed: scissors, metal ruler, triangle ruler (10" 30º/60º recommended), pencil, a small cup for your glue, a rag to keep your fingers glue-free, and a cutting mat. 

If you have the necessary tools but are in need of the glue & glue brush, you’ll find them in a separate shop listing here.

You’ll also need a mini hole-punch, which I recommend purchasing  from Tandy Leather, and Sookwang roll tape in two widths ⅛ & ¼. I will e you the links after registration. BIG Nota bene: Both the punch and the Sookwang tapes are handy & dandy for all manner of projects. We are inclined to refer to the Sookwang as The Tape of Things to Come.

I will select the Japanese papers, complementary linen bookcloth, and a length of Japanese flat cording for each kit. If you fancy a particular pattern or palette, please e me and I will do my best to accommodate. If you’d like to purchase an additional set of materials, you certainly can. However, you cannot accomplish this in the dropdown menu (because one set of materials is included with the workshop fee). To order additional sets of materials, please e me and I will be in touch extremely promptly. It’s $185. per additional set, with no shipping fee if you order at the same time as your workshop registration.

No previous bookbinding experience is necessary. You will have ample time during each step to ask questions while we work. If you have any questions now, please feel free to call or e me to discuss!

I look forward to sharing my long-standing love of bookbinding and working with beautiful materials with you in this two-part, eight-ish hour workshop!