Exposed Bindings: Coptic

This workshop is aimed at beginners and those with experience of bookbinding who are not familiar with coptic binding.  Coptic is an unsupported binding, which means it has an exposed spine with stitches linking the sections.  The book block is protected by boards covered in decorative paper.  The binding dates from the second century AD and was originally used by early Egyptian Christians, known as Copts.   The binding has the advantage of being able to open flat in a similar manner to a hinge, which makes it a popular choice for sketchbooks.  However, it is less robust than books with a covered spine such as cased or rounded books. 

As with all the workshops, we will start by discussing the basic principles of bookbinding, before covering boards, folding the sections, making sewing stations and binding the book. The course lasts half a day.  All materials are supplied.