Non-adhesive Bindings - Online - WKSP2025-11-04

ONLINE: Non-adhesive Bindings with Erin Fletcher

 

Non-Adhesive refers to a broad category of bookbinding where the spine of the book is left adhesive free. In many of these structures the sewing is left exposed, creating both support for the text block and a unique decorative spine.

 

While there is a myriad of non-adhesive bindings, in this workshop students will explore just three of these sewing patterns: Link Stitch, Long Stitch and Historical Long Stitch.

 

Learning these sewing patterns, which stem from historical structures, will give students the foundation and knowledge to further explore non-adhesive bindings on their own. 

 

Erin Fletcher is the owner of Herringbone Bindery, where she crafts one-of-a-kind fine bindings and small editions for various clients and institutions. Her work is regularly exhibited throughout the US and abroad. Her work is collected by The Grolier Club, Boston Athenaeum and UCLA along with several private collectors. She first discovered a love for bookbinding while studying at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This experience brought her to study bookbinding at the North Bennet Street School in Boston where she graduated in 2012. She regularly teaches book arts workshops online and at venues throughout the US. https://www.herringbonebindery.com/

 

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Location: ONLINE using Zoom

Dates: Tues and Thurs, November 4 & 6, 2025

Hours: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. (EASTERN TIME)

Course fee: $180 members / $240 non-members

Prerequisite: none

Maximum Enrollment: 20

Registration closes Friday Oct 17, 2025, 11:59 PM EST

 

This is a live workshop, but it will be recorded, and links will be made available for the registrants to view until available until Jan 25, 2024. The link for session one will be posted on Weds AM and sent to participants that day.

 

Tools:

Required:

• Bone Folder
• Craft knife
• Cutting Mat
• Glue brush (small to medium)
• Japanese Screw Punch
• Pencil
• Pin vise or Awl
• PVA
• Needles – No. 18 sharp
• Ruler with metric
• Scissors
• Waste paper

Optional:

• Dividers
• Punching Cradle
  

Materials Required:

Unless noted, all materials are grain direction parallel to the spine. Dimensions below are (height) x (width).

 

Creating the Text Blocks:

For assemble the text blocks, I would first cut down the folios to the oversized dimension of 160mm x 240mm. Each signature will have 6 folios. Fold all 6 folios in half at the same time. If you can, press the signatures or put under weight for a few hours or overnight.

 

You can either trim the signatures down by hand or with a board shear/guillotine. Trim each signature one at a time. I like to trim a few millimeters (about 2mm) from the tail edge of each signature first. Then I will set the height on my board shear to 155mm and trim all the head edges (one signature at a time). Finally, I set the width to 115mm and trim the fore edge flush (one signature at a time).

 

Trimming in this way cleans up all of the edges and creates a square text block.

 

General Materials:

 

Thread:

18/3 dyed thread

 

20pt. Museum Board or cardstock:

2 pieces – punching jig – 165mm x 50mm

 

Link Stitch:

Mohawk:

8 signatures, 6 folios – final dimensions: 155mm x 115mm (folded dimension, see note above about preparing signatures)

 

Canson or something similar (160gsm – 270gsm):

2 pieces – covers – 155mm x 260mm

 

Long Stitch:

Mohawk:

8 signatures, 6 folios – final dimensions: 155mm x 115mm (folded dimension, see note above about preparing signatures)

 

Canson or something similar (160gsm – 270gsm):

1 piece – cover – 155mm x 370mm

 

Historical Long Stitch:

Mohawk:

8 signatures, 6 folios – final dimensions: 155mm x 115mm (folded dimension, see note above about preparing signatures)

 

St. Armand, Cave Paper or something similar (270gsm – 320gsm):

1 piece – cover – 155mm x 370mm

 

Vellum/Goatskin Laminate*:

1 piece – spine piece – 155mm x 25mm

 

To make the spine piece, you’ll need two pieces of vellum and one piece of goatskin or other leather. Start with oversized pieces (about 165 x 35mm). Using PVA, laminate the three layers together with the leather sandwiched in the middle. Keep the spine piece underweight for a few hours or overnight. Once dry, trim a short and long end to create a square edge. Then trim down to the final height and width noted above.

 

*If you don’t have scraps of vellum and goatskin, you can make a spine piece out of wood, metal or cover binder’s board in decorative paper.

 

Online Workshop Process:

Materials should be prepared in advance of the workshop to the specifications which will allow participants to take the best advantage of the live format. Please review the technical requirements below prior to registration to be sure you can participate. Questions should be directed to workshop@cbbag.ca

 

Technical requirements for participation:

·       Access to the internet and to the Zoom application

·       Screen large enough to follow instructor’s video feed (cell phone is not ideal)

·       Microphone or Headset / Webcam

·       How to join a zoom meeting information https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193

Participant-requested cancellations will be accepted up to 3 days prior to the published cut-off date for registration and will be subject to a 10% cancellation fee (a minimum of $5). After that, the full fee will be forfeited. In the event of the workshop being cancelled by CBBAG, the workshop fee will be fully refunded.