Hardbacked Bookbinding 2 Day Weekend Workshop - Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October 2025

10am - 4pm, October 18, 2025

Lechlade Craft Barn, Orchard House South, Downington, Lechlade, Gloucestershire GL7 3DL

Come and immerse yourself in our 2 day weekend bookbinding workshop and create two beautiful journals from start to finish.

There is a maximum of only 8 places to allow everyone to fully enjoy the experience of making handmade journals. No previous experience is required.

In this two-day workshop, we will concentrate on making hardback books, and you will make at least two books to take home at the end of the second day.

DAY ONE - will be spent making book blocks.
We will spend some time looking at and understanding
· Paper grain
· Hand folding and cutting paper
· Creating signatures

You will learn how to create the pages for your books, sew them together, look at different techniques and the materials used. Any special extras can be added such as ribbon bookmarks, coloured endpapers or secret envelopes and then secure it all in place in preparation for the following day when we will concentrate on the covers.

DAY TWO - will be spent making the book covers.
Select your book cloth and decorative papers for the covers, and learn how to size and cut the boards and spines.

Your first book will be fully bound with book cloth for that traditional covered look. For your second book, we will use a mixture of techniques to make a more modern style split cover, with a book cloth spine and a decorative paper front and back cover that will make your book unique to you.

Finally, we will bind the book blocks and the covers together, and at the end of the day you will have two beautifully bound hardback books to take home and be proud of.

Cost: £150 for the two-day course.
Includes: tea, coffee and biscuits, please bring lunch. Please allow £15 for materials to be paid to the tutor at the workshop.

Customer cancellation deadline: 3rd October

Unfortunately, if we do not meet the minimum requirement for places this workshop may be cancelled.

NOTE: the Craft Barn is accessed via external stone steps with handrails and may not be suitable for anyone with mobility issues.

Click here to see cancellation information.