Beginners Bookbinding: sketchbooks | Workshop | with Aimee Spillman
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Suitable for complete beginners, all materials and tools provided.
Learn how to make handcrafted notebooks from the expert Aimee at Woodle
Books.
Course details
Date
Thursday 9th July 2026
Times
11.00am to 02.00pm
Cohort size
Up to 14 places
Ticket price
£60
Location
The Margate School of Art
Duration
Half day (morning)
Overview
Participants will learn how to fold and manipulate paper using specialist tools and how to apply this to bookbinding. The participants will make a pamphlet notebook; this is a simple single section notebook with hard covers. An extensive choice of cloth and endpapers will be available to make the notebooks
unique.
There will, for the first time, be a choice of papers to use for the book block. You can decide between 150gsm cream smooth paper or 150gsm arctic white paper that has a slight texture, or combine the two! Making your very own unique artist book. This also makes the perfect little notebook to keep with you in a bag to jot down ideas and in Aimee’s case, lists!
Upon completion everyone will leave with their own set of beginners tools, a hardbound notebook and the opportunity to purchase a copy of Aimee’s Beginners guide to bookbinding.
Beginners bookbinding is a gateway to the wonderful world of bookbinding and aims to dispel the idea that it can't be done at home or easily by everyone. This 2 hour class will be suitable for anyone with an interest in books and a love of
stationery.
Over 16 only.
This workshop is for beginners interested in bookbinding and learning a new craft that can be done at home, including artists, writers, jotters and list-makers who want a unique new object.
Each participant will create their own sketchbook or notebook to take home, and receive a copy of Aimee's book, Beginners guide to bookbinding.
All materials are provided, including a choice of paper.
Just yourself
Course tutor
Aimee has been bookbinding for over 12 years, she trained at City Lit in London gaining a level 3 City and Guilds bookbinding qualification. She then went onto train in conservation at Windsor Castle where she worked on books to be shown to Barack Obama and other visiting dignitaries. She then went on to work for a top london bookbinder where she excelled at leather rebacks for Cambridge University and helped to construct the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday card.
After 5 years she decided to go freelance and experience more binderies and working privately. Through a mixture of markets, private conservation work, commercial work, teaching and writing a book Aimee keeps busy and is always happy to discuss stationery with fellow lovers.
Bookbinding should be accessible to all, Aimee strives to show how it can be done in your own home with a few basic tools and will bring you a lot of joy, especially if you love stationery - imagine being able to make your own notebooks!
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Image credit: David Babaian