Wednesday October 14th, 4:30-6:30pm
Wednesday November 11th, 4:30-6:30pm
Wednesday December 9th, 4:30-6:30pm
We offer open workshop hours! Our shop will be available monthly for you to print your work. BAL board members will be your hosts and will assist you with your printing projects. Please bring your own paper and get ready to print!
Softcover Book With Needlepoint Design Workshop
Taught by Brenda Gallagher
Date: Saturday, October 3rd from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Cost: $120
Join Brenda Gallagher to make a simple pamphlet stitch notebook with cardstock covers. To design the cover of the book, students will experiment with different embroidery stitches to make patterns. We'll practice our embroidery skills before moving to final book covers. An entire rainbow spectrum of embroidery floss will be available for you to choose the perfect colors for your design. Designs can be simple shapes, letters or anything you can imagine! Photos attached.
(kids 12+ must be accompanied by an adult)
All supplies and materials will be provided.
Date: Saturday October 24th, 10:00 am — 4:30 pm with a break for lunch
Cost: $120
Instructor: Brenda Gallagher
Bind your very own miniature sketchbook with leather covers. This little gem holds your mini colored pencils and fits in your pocket!
To begin, students will use a Japanese screw punch to make designs in suede leather to create a pattern that will expose the colored pencils. A cardstock spine will be adhered to the leather, then the suede will be folded and sewn to make channels for the mini pencils. The sewing pattern will be punched out of the leather and spine with the screw punch in preparation for sewing the text block.
Next we will fold signatures of sketchbook paper, punch them, and sew them into the suede spine. Ties to close the book can be fashioned out of waxed linen thread.
Coptic stitch/exposed spine binding
Date: Saturday November 14th, 10:00 am — 4:30 pm with a break for lunch
Cost: $120
Instructor: Brenda Gallagher
This delightful style, which dates back to 2nd century Egypt, opens perfectly flat. Creating your book involves sewing folded signatures with linking stitches to produce a braided looking exposed spine sewing structure. We will begin by getting acquainted with paper grain and its importance for the finished book. We will cover the boards of the book with decorative paper and once dry students will pierce the holes in the covers to prepare for sewing. Paper signatures will be folded and pierced and then we'll take a short break for lunch. After lunch we will learn to sew the coptic stitch to bind the book. By the end of the workshop, you will have completed your book, and have the skill to make more on your own. Class fee includes all materials we use to make a book: a sheet of decorative paper to cover boards, paper for your signatures, a pair of pre-cut cover boards, glue, and waxed-linen thread. Students can borrow tools from the BAL or you can bring your own bookbinder's toolkit. Students will need: bonefolder, medium-weight awl, Xacto knife, scissors, ruler, and a bookbinder's needle.
Letterpress printing with polymer plates
Dates: Monday December 7th* from 6-8pm AND
Saturday December 12th, 10:00 am — 4:30 pm with a break for lunch
Cost: $200
Instructor: Brenda Gallagher
With polymer plates, you can letterpress print anything you can draw. This class will meet on two different days*. The first night we will talk about drawing your designs, translating drawings into files to make polymer plates to print with. We'll discuss the Boxcar plate system so students understand how the plates and base function together in the press. Then Brenda will send off to have plates made from our drawings at Boxcar press. We will meet again to print our plates on Saturday for an all day printshop day. Students can draw or scan holiday card designs or any other designs you want to create. We'll be printing on the BAL Pilot press which is a platen press. If time permits students can share/combine plates for multiple color designs or add a second pass of type from the BAL wood type collection. Each student will finish the class with a set of hand made cards with matching envelopes.
*NOTE: If you are unable to make the first night, you can email your drawing/design to Brenda and still join us to print your plate (made from your drawing) on Saturday Dec 12th.
