Instructor: Bari Zaki

No group Zoom workshops are currently scheduled. That said, the full-length live recording is available, either on its own, or with the option of scheduling a private or semiprivate workshop (in addition to the recording). No previous bookbinding experience is necessary. See the dropdown below for pricing.

This structure is stylish, practical, and practically perfect for a travelogue, a mini-memoir, a lengthy love letter, a set of photos…or a combination thereof!

What you’ll make: A pair of single-signature stitched hardcover folders, with a soft fabric spine and angled interior pocket and a Cambridge-coordinated set of butterfly clips. (You’ll decide whether to affix your pocket inside the front or back cover.)

We begin with a brief introduction about paper grain and a review of workshop tools. You will then fold your four pieces of Stonehenge drawing paper to make one 8-page signature for your booklet. Next, you will learn to hinge two separate pieces of bookboard to make your cover. After covering your book inside and out, you will make a stitching template so that your stitches align beautifully on the spine. The stitch you’ll use is our Cambridge Hitch.

For the finale, you will learn to wrap butterfly clips with Cambridge Imprint papers! I also share my personal tips for trimming your clip-covering papers perfectly.

Workshop fee includes all the materials (but not the tools) you’ll need to make a pair of books: Cambridge-centric papers (including an assortment to “populate” your posh pocket); bookboard cut to size for you; Stonehenge drawing paper for your 8-page signature; bookcloth for your spine; a double-adhesive sheet for creating your pocket panel; waxed-linen threads (2 red lengths and 2 blue); and, last but certainly not least, 7 (a binder’s half-dozen) madam-sized butterfly clips to cover with Cambridge Imprint papers.

Bonus: You will have four sheets of Cambridge papers left over, ideal for hand-folding envelopes, pattern inside or out! What a lovely addition to your suite, perchance poking out of the pocket.

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). So, please e me, and I will be in touch extremely promptly. It’s $145. per additional set (to make a pair of books). Shipping is gratis if you order at the same time as your workshop registration.

Tools needed: Bonefolder, shipping clerk’s knife, lightweight awl, medium awl, X-acto knife, & needle. All but the medium awl are included in my Basic Bookbinding Kit. You can also purchase items individually, and I am pleased to offer a 20% discount on any tools ordered for the workshop (via refund after your workshop purchase).

Ancillary tools needed: Ruler, triangle ruler, pair of sharp scissors, pencil, cutting mat, a small cup for your glue, scrap paper for glueing on, and a small cloth to keep your fingers glue-free. Nota bene: 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.

This recording is 4-ish hours in total. It includes the “natural pauses” from the original workshop sessions, giving you time to complete the various steps. You can pause the video wherever and as often as you’d like, but you may not need to at all.

To schedule a date & time, add this class to your cart, and then email barizakistudio@gmail.com with your preferred date(s) and time of day. Feel free to call or e me with any questions (773-294-7766 or barizakistudio@gmail.com).

I look forward to sharing my long-standing love of glueing & stitching—and my ongoing rhapsody over Cambridge Imprint papers—with you.