Archives for “bookbinding”

new classes for 2024

We’ve got a fresh lineup of classes happening at asil studio in the new year, taught by yours truly in tandem with Lisa Sylvestre of asil. We’d love for you to join us to learn something new and hone your sewing, knitting, and bookbinding skills with us! You can see all the details below, with handy links to take you over to the asil website if you’d like to sign up.

Red scissors lying on a patched piece of denim stitched with red and white thread.

Introduction to hand sewing, a flexible six-part series.

Thursdays February 8 and 22, March 7 and 21, and April 4 and 18, 2024, 6:30 until 8 pm (6 x 1.5 hrs)

$35 individual session, $30/session for 3-5 sessions, $25/session ($150) for entire series

This six-week series is designed to cover the basics of hand stitching. Each class can be taken as a free standing class but the techniques will build from week to week.

Week 1: The basics of the basics. Learn to thread a needle and to tie a beautiful knot. You will learn the simple and versatile running and back stitches. These stitches are used as utility seam stitches, for raw edge applique, and as a decorative top stitch.

Week 2: Whip stitch. We will introduce the whip, or overcast, stitch which will expand your range both for stitching seams and finer-finish applique.

Week 3: Blanket stitch. The blanket stitch is a versatile and decorative embroidery stitch used for edging and finishing, for mending, and as another method of adding applique.

Week 4: Hemming. You will learn tips and tricks for pressing both straight and curved hems. We will introduce our favourite hand hemming techniques.

Week 5: Fasteners. In this session you will learn how to hand stitch a button hole and a button loop as well as the tailoring method of attaching a button.

Week 6: Mending. We will delve into different methods of repair using simple stitches and patches.

All materials will be provided.

Want to sign up? Click here: Sign me up for hand sewing!

Trace Monotype

Saturday, January 27, 2024, 1 pm until 3 pm (2 hrs)

$40 plus $5 materials fee

Trace monotype is an easy and beautiful method for creating a mix of bold and delicate lines in your one-of-a-kind prints. It’s very responsive to the artist’s hand, giving a rich atmospheric quality to the image. In this class you will learn how to specially prepare oil based ink for trace monotype, and will create at least one beautiful print on Japanese paper. Depending on the complexity of your image, you may have time to make more than one print.

Trace monotype, as its name suggests, uses tracing, so you don’t have to be able to draw! Please bring printouts or photocopies of source material; such as a specific photo or image you wish to work from (NOT originals; these will be ruined in the monotype process!). Your finished image will be the reverse of your source image so please consider that when making your copy. We will also have plenty of source material available for you to choose from.

Want to sign up? Click here: Sign me up for trace monotype!

Introduction to knitting

Saturday, February 10, 2024, 1 pm until 4 pm

$75

In this three hour class, you will learn to cast-on stitches, how to work a basic garter stitch, how to increase and decrease stitches, and how to cast off and finish. You will leave with a sturdy cotton dishcloth, a set of knitting needles and enough cotton to make a second cloth.

Want to sign up? Click here: Sign me up for knitting!

Hand quilting (series)

Saturdays, February 24, March 9 and March 23, 2024, 1 pm until 2:30 pm (3 x 1.5 hrs)

$90 plus $10 materials fee

In this three week series, we will cover the basics of hand quilting. The course is designed with ample time between sessions for you to practice and work on your hand quilted pieces. You will choose the size of your piece ranging from tea mat to place mat size.

During Week 1 we will discuss some quilting history and what makes a quilt a quilt. We will consider quilt design, material choices and cover basic hand piecing techniques.

In Week 2 you will learn basic quilting techniques including methods of basting.

Week 3 will introduce you to different methods of finishing your quilted piece.

Want to sign up? Click here: Sign me up for hand quilting!

Print and stitch (two weeks)

Thursdays, May 2 and 9, 2024, 6:30 until 8:30 pm (2 x 2 hours)

$50 plus $10 materials fee

This two-week class will teach you how to print and embellish your own custom fabric. In Week 1 you will learn how to make richly coloured block prints on fabric using our collection of pre-carved blocks and design elements you can layer in different ways. In Week 2 you will add depth and detail to your piece with some simple embroidery stitches.

All materials are provided and you will leave class with a beautiful piece of embellished fabric (you may not finish your stitching during class but we will get you well on your way!). No printmaking or embroidery experience is necessary, although a basic knowledge of hand sewing will help you get started.

Want to sign up? Click here: Sign me up for print and stitch!

Retchoso bookbinding

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 1 pm – 3:30 pm (2.5hrs)

$60 plus $10 materials fee

Retchoso bookbinding is a unique style of Japanese binding that joins folded sections of paper with a complex yet elegant stitch using one or two needles to create a slender notebook that opens perfectly flat. Sturdy multi-layer paper covers are built onto the book’s sections before binding. It’s a perfect binding for a portable notebook or sketchbook, or for chapbook publishing. All materials will be provided and you will leave with a finished book.

Want to sign up? Click here: Sign me up for retchoso bookbinding!

upcoming workshops at dandelion school house

I’m excited to announce a few new fall workshops I’ll be teaching under the new umbrella of dandelion school house, a collaboration between asil (link: asil) and Levigator Press. We felt it was time to separate our classes from the asil gallery name, and will announce more later when we’re ready to launch properly with a full lineup of classes and a beautiful logo (I’m working on a very nice drawing but my Procreate skills are quite primitive and it’s taking me forever). For now, we’re soft launching the school with a short roster of classes. For now you can see what’s on offer at this link: dandelion school house.

On Saturday, October 28 I’ll be teaching an old favourite, Coptic bookbinding. We’ll be using fun covers cut down from old books and you’ll have your choice of a few different papers for your pages. Registration is required, and can be done on the asil website via this link: Coptic bookbinding at dandelion school house.

On two consecutive Thursday evenings, November 9 and 16, I’ll be teaching an introductory linoleum printing workshop. This is one of the most popular workshops I used to offer at the Levigator Press studio and we’re pretty excited to finally be running it again. Here’s the link to register at the asil website: Lino block printing at dandelion school house.

We’d love it if you could join us!

longstitch binding

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Here are the finished student books from our first bookbinding class at Arts Council Windsor & Region, longstitch binding with a wrapped leather cover. Thanks to everyone who came out and made a book with us!

Longstitch bookbinding class

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Here are our students’ finished books from Saturday afternoon’s bookbinding class! Watch for the next session coming up in July.

Longstitch binding class

Here are some lovely books from tonight’s bookbinding class, longstitch through a slotted cover with a folded decorative slipcover. The students had loads of fun and were in love with their gorgeous little finished books.

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Book covers

Here’s a progress shot on our other new line of hand bound journals: bookcloth and screenprinted paper.

New journals

Here’s a little preview of our new leather journals. This one is sold but we’ll have more ready soon, in two sizes!

Delicious

New Irish linen thread for bookbinding, in some fun bright colours.

On the bench

A longstitch and linkstitch binding with a lovely dark, thick leather cover.

Today in the studio


8-year-old Adriaan, a friend of Levigator Press, came by to visit and learned how to do a single-section pamphlet binding.