The Girdle Book - ONLINE - 2026WKSP-03-01

ONLINE: The Girdle Book with Anna Yevtukh

Learn how to create the quirky Medieval Girdle Book with all its traditional features.

This course will be packed with interesting information and practical knowledge. It's designed for anyone interested in the medieval history from bookbinding point of view and will require some usual professional bookbinding equipment like sewing frame and finishing press. Work arounds will be offered explaining what you can use instead if you don’t have a sewing frame or finishing press.

Girdle Books were small portable books worn by medieval European monks and aristocrats as a popular accessory between the 13th and 16th century in a narrow area from Netherlands to the Upper Rhine Valley.

Your book will have all traditional Girdle book structural features like sewn on double cords, wooden boards, strap & pin closure, corner bosses, traditional headbands, and of course long tail extension and a Turk's head knot at the end of it.

There might be some homework between sessions. Registrants can work along with Anna, watch the live session, or just watch the videos later.

Anna Yevtukh is a member of the Society of Bookbinders, Designer Bookbinders and the local Guild of Designer Craftsmen who studied art and bookbinding in Ukraine and has been utilising these skills to build her handmade books since 1998. Anna is Ukrainian but has been permanently based in Worcester, UK since June 2006.

Basing her ethos on the fact that ‘’books should not merely be perceived as a means from which to read or write within’’, Anna’s artistic view to bookbinding allows her to create pieces of book art that are not only constructed with passion and flare to the highest quality but that are completely unique and personal.

Anna conducted various bookbinding, book arts and book conservation workshops and courses across the UK since 2007 and also teaches online for the last 4 years. She was a bookbinding tutor at Malvern School of Art from 2011 until 2021.

 www.anna-yevtukh.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annayevtukhbooks/

Facebook: Anna Yevtukh-Squire Handmade Books

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Location: ONLINE using Zoom

Dates: 4 Sundays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 2026

Hours: Note there are two start times because some parts of Canada chance to daylight savings time on March 8 which is prior to the UK's time change where Anna is located. 

March 1: 10:30 AM – 12:45 PM (EST) 

March 8, 15, & 22: 11:30 AM – 1:45 PM (EDT) 

Course fee: $285 members/$345 non-member

Prerequisite: This is an intermediate level workshop that is open to beginners. Leather paring will be demonstrated but the book can be made without paring. There will likely be some homework between sessions and some tasks will be easier with specialized equipment.

Maximum Enrollment: 25

Registration closes Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 11:59 PM EST

This is a live workshop, but it will be recorded. Anna Yevtukh is willing to allow the registrants to download the videos for their personal use only. CBBAG will provide a download link to registrants only that is active for 30 days through Zoom.

MATERIALS

Anna is willing to provide materials kits to interested registrants. Cost will be kit £40 for the kit + £17 for the postage.

Once registered, participants will be given Anna’s email and payment will be made directly to Anna through PAYPAL.

If you don’t want to purchase the materials kit, please have the following ready to go for the workshop.

• Paper – 130 gsm, 90 pieces sized 10.5 cm x 14.8 cm (short grain), folded in half and arranged into 30 sections of 3 folios.
• Linen thread for stitching bookblock (aprox.5-7meters)
• Beeswax to wax the thread
• Cord for the frame to stitch the book block on to, approx. 2meters
• PVA Glue and Brush
• Cotton, Fraynot or Thin linen fabric 8 xm x 10 cm
• Scrap piece of cardstock 10.5 cm x 2.5 cm to make a template

For the headbands:

• 2 x round natural hemp or linen cord, 0.3-0.4mm diameter and 10 cm long (as a core for the headbands
• 1 colour of thread for headbands, approx. 3 meters - coloured or plain linen thread and wax

For the covers:

• 2 x wooden boards 7cm x 10.6cm x 6mm OR 6 x grey board 7cm x 10.6 cm - laminate them together - glue 3 of them together with PVA glue for a front cover and 3 together for a back cover.
• 1 x A5 card 1mm thickness (back of sketchbook type and thickness) or metal bosses (corners)
• 8 metal shank buttons as metal bosses
• leather 24cm x 35cm (0.7mm-0.8mm thickness) - for a main piece
• leather 2.2cm x 60cm - for Turk's head knot
• leather 1.8cm x 24 cm - for leather strap fastening
• leather 2 pieces 10.5cm x 2cm - for leather joints
• leather 2 pieces 7cm x 2cm - for covering bottom of the boards
• wheat flour paste 150 g and a brush
• PVA and a brush
• waste paper like old glossy magazine for gluing on
• brass/copper nail or a peg 1 cm x 0.1-0.2cm
• brass or copper loop, hook, ring or triangle for fastening
• 1 x A6 card, thickness of a cereal box, approx. 1mm
• 1 x A5 decorative paper for endpapers
• PVA glue and brush and a bit of paste
• waste paper like glossy magazine for gluing

TOOLS

REQUIRED

• awl/bodkin
• sewing frame
• any bookbinding press, lying or finishing (don't worry if you don't have one, I will explain how to get around it)
• cutting mat
• bonefolder
• Snap off blade Xacto knife or craft knife
• pencil/pen/notepad/eraser
• needle
• scissors
• sandpaper, variety of grits
• drill (electric or hand drill) to drill holes for stitching, fastening, and decorations
• drill bits - 1mm, 2mm, 3mm
• paste brush

OPTIONAL

• Leather paring knife & a piece of marble OR scalpel with small, rounded blades (#10) and pointed blades (#11) & glossy shiny ceramic tile or piece of smooth tempered glass.
• Wood whittling knife (Snap off blade Xacto knife can be used instead)

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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

Cancellation policy:

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.