Introduction to Bookmaking: Sewn Structures
Introduction to Bookmaking: Sewn Structures is a beginner-friendly bookbinding workshop focused on creating two sewn book forms. Participants will learn to make a French Link Journal-Sketchbook with an exposed sewn spine and a Single Section Case Bound Notebook, a small hardcover book. The class covers sewing signatures, covering boards, selecting appropriate materials and tools, assembling a basic bookbinding toolkit, and considering how content and structure work together in book design.
By the end of the workshop, students will have a foundation for continuing their bookbinding practice and adapting these structures for notebooks, journals, albums, and other projects. No previous experience is required.
When: November 28
Showtimes: 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Venue: Pyramid Atlantic Art Center
Tickets: $193
Materials: Registration includes a $28 materials fee for consumable supplies provided in class, including paper, thread, and glue.
Level: Beginner; no experience is necessary.
Registration deadline: November 21, 2026
Workshop topics: Students will learn the French Link Journal-Sketchbook and Single Section Case Bound Notebook structures, how to sew signatures, how to cover boards for hardcover books, and how to choose tools and design book contents and structures.
What to bring: Students may optionally bring an apron or wear clothing that can get messy, a notepad and pen, and any preferred personal tools. The workshop will provide tools such as scissors, bone folders, awls, rulers, and X-Acto knives for students to use.
Instructor: Amaal Younes is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and craft-based practitioner originally from Cairo, Egypt, and now based in Washington, DC. Her practice explores material experimentation, storytelling, and the cultural intimacy of handmade objects across book arts, design, and visual work.
Instructor background: Younes co-founded Grain Studio in 2017, a bookbinding and craft initiative combining traditional handwork with collaborative making and social engagement. Her current body of work, *Hands of a Wanderer*, examines migration, belonging, and slow making through functional objects and narrative craft.