Intro to Bookbinding - Basic Codex In-Store Class Feb 11 & 18

Intro to Bookbinding - The Basic Codex In-Store Class
Two Tuesday Evenings, February 11 & 18, 5:30-9pm
Instructor: Mia Semingson
Limit: 6 students. All participants must be 15 years or older.

Class Details

This introductory class focuses on classic bookbinding techniques. It’s a two-part class taught by Mia Semingson, co-owner of Two Hands Paperie and an experienced bookbinder who loves sharing her knowledge. You learn by doing – that is, by making a traditional, covered spine book from start to finish with your own two hands. So you can later make more to your exact specifications, Mia also provides information on how to resize the basic structure. Handy! 

To begin the first session, Mia provides a bit of history, defines the different parts of a book, and describes paper grain and its importance. Then it’s time to get busy making. You’ll tear down large sheets of paper to create pages, group those pages into signatures, and sew the signatures into a text block. 

The second session is a week later, when you’ll surface the book board cover with book cloth and decorative paper. Finish your book by adding decorative headbands, a ribbon bookmark, and tip-on endpapers, then assemble all the parts together. Voila! You’ve just made a basic codex! There are no guarantees in life, but we’re pretty sure you’ll be proud of your finished book.

An email will be sent to participants the Monday before the class. Classes with homework may receive pre-class info earlier.  No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered and your SPAM folder. Due to SPAM filters and inbox settings, we cannot guarantee you will see, read, or open these emails. Two Hands Paperie assumes no responsibility for non-attendance of a class. Contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com with any class questions and see our Class Policies page for more information. 

Class Materials

Please bring the following materials:

• An X-Acto knife w/ fresh blade
• Snacks, water bottle
• Session #2- Apron 
• Session #2- Two large sheets of decorative paper suitable for gluing over the book board covers. The paper cannot be thin or translucent. Good choices are Lokta, Indian cotton, and printed Cavallini papers.

Class Materials Include:

• Handouts & info
• Paper for the book pages
• Bookboard covers
• Bookcloth or the spine
• Ribbon for bookmark
• Glue & brushes
• Bookbinding needle & thread
• Bookbinding tools

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy

Cancellations made up to 14 days prior to the first class meeting will be refunded or, at the participant's option, used to pay for another class. Two Hands Paperie will retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled by a participant. After 14 days, there is no refund or credit. In addition, the fee for a class cancelled within this 14-day timeframe by a participant cannot be transferred to pay for another class. These policies are to ensure that teachers are compensated for their investment in materials and in time spent preparing for the class. We reserve the right to cancel a class if fewer than 3 students enroll 48 hours prior to the scheduled class time. If for any reason Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, students will be called at the phone number on file and refunded the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Mia Semingson received her MFA in photography and electronic media from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her work has been exhibited internationally in Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and France as well as nationally. Mia taught photography, book arts, and video production at the University of Colorado at Boulder for eleven years. She and her husband Gerald Trainor have owned Two Hands Paperie since January 2010, where their goal is to foster a community of creative people and support local artists and small cooperatives. Mia loves teaching and, in addition to her workshops at the store, has taught at the Makerie,  Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado and recorded classes on Creativebug.