Traditional Asian Book Binding

To follow campus closure and prevent the spread of COVID 19, we have rescheduled our Traditional Asian Bookbinding Workshop, with artist-in-residence Evelyn Wong, to a Live Stream on Monday, March 23.

The free workshop will be split into 3 sessions, allowing for greater flexibility. Drop in from the comfort of your home and make some book structures along with us! We’ll see you right here on our Facebook page at these times:

3/23, 10am: Japanese Stab Binding ↓↑
A beautiful and simple format to bind pages into an album-format, the Japanese Stab Binding can be used for instances when you have too many loose sheets of the same-sized material and need a way to arrange them together into a book!

3/23, 12pm: Japanese Hemp Leaf Binding🍁
This variation of the Japanese Stab Binding puts more focus on the beautiful patterns that can be created from the stitching together of pages. Using colorful threads and ribbons, you can experiment with different ways to hint at what’s inside your book.

3/23, 2pm: Chinese Flutter Binding 🦋
In this structure, loose pages are glued together that, when “fluttering” apart, become one panoramic visual narrative. Folded in, the pages behave similarly to a compressed accordion and appear to collapse into a conventional-looking book.

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Here are some materials you’ll need. If you don’t have these exact items, think about something you already own that could complete the task:

-Bone folder (a flat, sturdy item like the end of a butter knife)
-Large needle (thick sewing needle, bookbinding needle, etc)
-Ruler
-Scissors (and/or X-acto knife and cutting mat)
-Hole punch/bookbinder’s punch
-Awl (something like a needle on a handle. This tool is for pre-making holes that you will sew thread through)
-PVA glue
-Glue brush
-Container for glue (large enough to hold your brush)
-Regular Copy Paper (for inside the books)
-Decorative cover papers (think scrapbook paper or even wrapping paper!)
-Waxed linen thread (or otherwise a thick or very tough thread)
-Ribbons
-any specific paper or images you want to incorporate!