| Title | Information |
| Instructor | Brenda Gallagher |
| Skill Level | Intermediate |
| Length of Workshop | 2 days |
| Date(s) | Wednesday, June 24, and Thursday, June 25, 2026 |
| Cost | $175 per day x 2 days + $35 material fee |
| Total Price of Workshop | $385 |
Workshop Description
We will begin with discussing design and how to plan the space for the cover’s wood panel. Designs will be transferred to pieces of wood veneer in cherry, oak, or maple. Then we will move on to woodburning the veneer to create our cover images. Students will practice how to make designs with the heated tool and learn tips for working over wood grain and best techniques. Color can be added by painting the finished woodburned design with wood dyes. Students will receive several pieces of wood veneer to work on, choosing the best finished design to be the cover of the book.
On the second day, students will fold signatures, sew a link-stitch multi-signature binding, then add decorative endsheets, handmade wrapped-paper endbands, and mull. We will adhere the final wood veneer panel to the front cover board and create a case to fit the book. We will case in the book and dry under weight.
Prerequisites (participants should know how to):
- Thread a needle and wax the thread
- Determine paper grain and match the grain of different components of a book
- Fold paper using a bonefolder and assemble signatures
- Sew a kettle stitch
- Glue up paper or cloth to cover binder’s board
- Make a simple sewn text block for codex book
Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Students
- Bonefolder
- Teflon bonefolder
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Awl (https://www.talasonline.com/Bookbinding-Awls)
- 12″ ruler
- Beeswax cake
- X-Acto or Olfa knife
- Cutting mat
- White pencil eraser
- Crepe eraser
- Small paintbrushes for applying dye to wood
- Small triangle (https://www.riogrande.com/product/zona-stainless-steel-triangle-ruler-3/116118GP)
- Large triangle (https://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-Precision-45-90-Degree-Aluminum-83108/dp/B00A6WHWS0)
- Optional:
- Standing square (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodpeckers-mini-square?variant=45510116278410)
- Small weight
See Materials Glossary for definitions and images
Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Instructor
- Paper
- Thread
- Cardstock
- Needle
- Tracing paper
- Wood veneer
- Book boards
- PVA
- Glue brushes
- Bookcloth
- Wood dyes
- Mull
- Japanese paper for spine consolidation
- Decorative flysheet paper
- Cord for making endbands
- Woodburning tools
- Wood finish
- Brenda will also bring for making the case:
- Spacer bars
- Foam pieces for punching
- Blue tape
- Graphite sticks for transferring
- Mylar pieces
- Wide glue brushes
- Sandpaper
- Paint trays
Instructor Biography
Brenda Gallagher is a graphic designer, book artist, and design fine bookbinder. She is an enthusiastic teacher of letterpress and bookbinding for students of all ages. Brenda is a graduate of the American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride where she earned a diploma of design fine binding.
Instagram: @bgallagher4
