Book Binding with Blake Brenneman | January 31

January 31 | 12-3

Explore the timeless world of bookbinding with Blake Brenneman, a skilled artisan known for his expertise in traditional craftsmanship and innovative design. This immersive introductory lecture and hands-on workshop will guide you through the fundamentals of bookbinding by making a coptic-stitched journal.

Under Blake's thoughtful guidance, you'll gain a structural understanding of how books are made. Discover the joy of personalizing your own journal, planner, scrapbook, or sketchbook. Blake will inspire you to develop a unique vision for your book and take home a book--or book-in-progress--at the end of class. 

This workshop is designed for anyone who is curious about the book- and journal-making process. It offers a fun opportunity to stitch, paste, and fold your way to a finished artifact. 

Note: Participants in this class should have basic sewing knowledge (such as how to thread a needle, and how to sew into pre-punched holes). No other knowledge is required, though any crafter who has done handwork (such as sewing, embroidery, or cross stitch) will thrive.

Required Materials are included in the class kit that comes with class registration: 
Paper 
Thread 
Book Board 
PVA Adhesive
Curved Needles
Glue Brushes
Awl
Bone Folder
Boards
Cover paper

About R. Blake Brenneman, @theredclubbindery or The-red-club.com
Blake Brenneman is a bookbinder, paper maker, and sashiko artist specializing in handmade one-of-a-kind pieces. He teaches classes--both for groups and private lessons--and has expertise in book restoration, aesthetic rebindings, and custom journals and sketchbooks. Drawing on a rich background of art history, business, and as a magician, Blake combines traditional techniques with modern, small-batch sensibilities to create truly unique, utilitarian pieces of art. He lives in the greater Washington DC metro area with his wife and their beloved dog. 

Artist Statement:

Inner complexity and outward simplicity are the North Stars that guide my work. There is boldness in attempting perfection, even in its simplest forms. With books, the building of the process stays consistent: folding signatures, sewing pages, making book cloth. Yet, the most visible parts of each book allow limitless degrees of expression and creativity.

In the pursuit of that understated boldness, I layer Japanese sashiko--elegant, traditional stitchwork designed for mending and elevated to art by generations of artisans--with Western bookbinding methods. In bookbinding, there is always a dichotomy between aesthetic and function. At each crossroads of creativity, at each step in the process, I build layers of the utilitarian and the exquisite. Bookbinding allows me to encapsulate a universe within stitched pages; and each book created becomes more beautiful in the hands of the person using it. 

Each of us leaves an indelible impression upon every book we hold; the bookbinder is just the first.