NW2 Region Programme of Events 2026

Saturday, 10 January 2026

Mylyn McColl: A Criss Cross Long Stitch Binding 

This is an on-line workshop

In this fun workshop you will learn how to make a variation on a long stitch binding: preparing pages, creating a beautiful case using decorative papers and bookcloth and producing an intricate set of holes. Everything will be attached together with a highly decorative criss-cross stitch, using multiple-coloured threads. This wonderful book structure lays flat, making it great for sketching and writing. You will be guided through each process and shown how to use traditional tools of the trade. Given live and interactive step by step instruction through demonstration, at the end of the day you will have your own stylish notebook and the skills to make more.  

NB: the workshop will be recorded and available, only to those who have paid, for the following four weeks. 

Workshop fee £30, plus £15 for materials including postage. 

Saturday, 14 March 2026

Tanja Bolenz: A Flexible Leather Binding 

Make a unique soft leather covered journal using long stitch sewing. You will select and prepare the materials (papers and leathers), and learn how to design and make a completely individual book (choice of format is yours) with a soft leather cover and fastening strap/tie. There will be plenty of opportunity to be creative with colours, textures, dimensions, layering - and adding decorative elements of your choice. Many example bindings will be available, to inspire and to get your creative juices going. Suitable for all abilities, no leather paring experience necessary [that’s next month’s workshop!]. 

Workshop fee £30, plus £15 for materials. 

Saturday, 11 April 2026

 Dominic Riley: Precise Leather Paring and Covering 

Leather paring requires patience and practice and, of course, sharp tools. This workshop will introduce you to both accurate leather paring, using the knife and the paring machine, and covering. You will assemble and cover a small open-necked box, made from pre-cut materials. The Harmatan fine goatskin is pared down to 0.6mm for elegance and easy handling. After the paring process (in three parts), the leather is pasted out and put on the box: the overlapping feathered edges are set first, then the turn-ins are taken in, and finally the leather is drawn over the base. The base of the box is filled in with card and lined with suede to give a non-slip finish. Taken together, these techniques cover the fundamentals of accurate handling of leather. And you will go away with a little jewel of a box, for your messages. 

Workshop fee £30, plus £30 for materials. 

Saturday, 9 May 2026

Tom McEwan: Leather Dyeing and Decoration 

This workshop will explore a range of leather dyeing and decoration techniques including: hand dyeing, print-assisted, silk-screened, craquelle, inlays and onlays. All techniques will be demonstrated, followed by hands-on sessions using supplied leathers and boards.

Workshop fee £30, plus £15 for materials. 

Saturday and Sunday, 13 & 14 June 2026

Glenn Malkin: Limp Vellum Binding

In this two-day workshop we shall be making a traditional limp-vellum binding. We shall start by folding, trimming and piercing the pages which will then be sewn onto leather thongs. We shall also sew simple headbands directly onto the book. On the second day we will create the cover which will be made from pre-lined old vellum documents - these are much cheaper than new vellum and can also be very decorative. This binding is almost adhesive-free as the cover folds around the book and the turn-ins are secured by cutting shaped tabs and slots.

Workshop fee £50, plus £25 for materials and a detailed handout. 

Saturday, 11 July 2026

Val Corrigan: Surface pattern design for cloth&paper book coverings 

An exploration of different printmaking techniques; including carving stamps, cutting stencils, mark making and block printing with everyday household items, in order to decorate book cloth and paper suitable for future bookbinding projects. We will print on commercially made book cloth and explore various methods to make our own book cloth. In order to provide inspiration there will be special reference to various mid-century-modern designers, including the textile designs of Lucienne Day, Enid Marx, Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Archer. Decorating fabric by hand can be a challenge, however we will look at the restrictions imposed by the process and turn these limitations into inspirations! No artistic or drawing skills are necessary. 

Workshop fee £30, plus £10 for materials. 

Tuesday, 4 August 2026

Visit to Liverpool Libraries 

In 2013 Liverpool Central Library was re-built behind its imposing facade to create an uplifting light and welcoming interior. However the historic Picton and Hornby libraries within were preserved. We will have a tour of the whole library, concluding with a handling session in the Search Room exploring bindings, book arts and bookplates from their Special Collections. For lunch and onwards, we visit the Liverpool Athenaeum Library, founded in 1797 re-located in 1928 it is still a private membership library in the heart of the city. 

There is no charge for this event, but members pay for their own lunch. 

Saturday, 12 September 2026 

Our Autumn Gathering 

A day to come together for demos and illustrated talks, plus trade stands, a bookbinding display, a raffle and a silent auction. Helen Golding-Miller’s talk and demo on Mauchline-style bindings, Richard Nichols’ illustrated talk Binding in Stone (left), and Barry Clark’s intro to his display of Bookbinding books, hand bound. And no doubt more to be added. 

A snip at the astonishingly low price of £10! 

Saturday, 10 October 2026

Magalie Briand: The Merry-go-Round book 

A magical and playful, rotating book structure inspired by the Continuously Convoluting Carousel by Graham Patten. Create this sculptural book structure that unfolds in 360 degrees to form a circular display. As the structure is rotated, panels change to reveal new content. Based on the Jacob’s Ladder mechanism, it folds up into a more traditional book form. See image, but the true magic is best seen in motion: http://brilliantmagpiebookbinding.com/assets/Carousel.mp4

Workshop fee £30, plus £15 for materials. 

Saturday, 14 November 2026

Dieter Rader: The Buttonhole Stitch Binding

In this non-adhesive structure, signatures are attached to a limp cover by looping sewing thread through a cut-out in its spine, creating a series of stitches that resemble the reinforced edges of a traditional buttonhole.  The result is a durable, flat-opening binding with decorative spine.  The technique is also easily adapted to using thin boards. 
The workshop will explore a range of design options and, depending on how quickly you progress, you will make one or two (approximately)  A5-size bindings. 

Workshop fee £30, plus £20 for materials.