Introduction to Bookmaking: Sewn Structures

About this event

This workshop will introduce you to the basics of bookbinding, including appropriate materials and tools needed to make your own notebooks, journals, or albums. The two book structures taught will be a French Link Journal-Sketchbook (an exposed spine sewn binding) and a Single Section Case Bound Notebook (a small hard-covered book). In addition to learning how to sew signatures and properly cover boards for hard-covered books, the class will provide an overview of tools needed in a basic bookbinding tool kit and concepts to consider when designing book content and structures. By the end of the course, you will be able to adapt these structures to suit your needs, as well as have a strong foundation for furthering your bookbinding skills.

Level: Beginner – no experience necessary

Registration closes November 21, 2026. Materials fees are included with registration to cover the materials supplied in class. A small list of optional items will also be provided to students to gather/bring to class.

Sample image by Nathalie Ryan

WORKSHOP SUPPLIES:

Registration includes a $28 materials fee to cover consumable materials provided in class, including paper, thread, and glue. Students may want to bring the following items:

(optional) Personal apron (we’ll have extras) and/or wear clothes that can get messy

(optional) Notepad and pen for taking notes

(optional) Any personal tools you prefer to use (though we’ll have plenty on hand for you to use) – scissors, bonefolder, awl, ruler, X-acto knife, etc.

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

Amaal Younes is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and craft-based practitioner born in Cairo, Egypt, now based in Washington, DC. Her work is rooted in material exploration, storytelling, and the cultural intimacy of handmade objects. Moving between book arts, design, and visual practice, she is interested in how craft can hold memory, emotion, and community.

In 2017 Amaal co-founded Grain Studio, a bookbinding and craft initiative that combined traditional handwork with collaborative making and social engagement. Her current body of work, Hands of a Wanderer, explores migration, belonging, and slow making through functional objects and narrative craft. You can learn more about her work at www.amaalyounes.com.