This class will help you carry out an idea, a design or a project with the support of an experienced teacher. You will profit from learning many tips and tricks specific to your questions and needs. In these three days, participants can choose their own topics and will gain or improve knowledge or finish a project.

The multitude and variety Hedi Kyle’s models allow us to open our horizons even further. Old, historical techniques are researched and provide the perspectives for new approaches. In the fourth chapter of this series, we will show how rich the possibilities and developments of these works are. The aim of the course is to learn more about the techniques of Hedi Kyle and to re-interpret them in your own personal way.

We are excited to offer a third course with new and fascinating book structures developed by Hedi Kyle. We will create numerous new structures and explore many unique techniques using various materials.

A chemise and slipcase protects a valuable book from dust and light. Participants may bring one or two full leather bindings for which we will make a custom chemise with a leather spine that meets all conservation requirements. To complete the work, we will also make a matching slipcase with leather trim.

The tradition of edge gilding, edge coloring and edge decorating dates back to the beginnings of the history of the bound book. The goal of this four-day course is not only to practice gold, graphite, color or natural edge decoration, but also to experiment with individual ideas and edge decoration projects. Participants should bring approximately six text blocks with maximum format DIN A5 (sewn, glued and rounded). Practice blocks are also appropriate.

This course will introduce the Bradel binding, a hollow back binding with a visible joint, or French groove. Participants will apply this technique to make a half leather binding. Edge coloring (graphite and ivory) as well as soft slipcases will be additional topics of the course.

In this 6-day course we will learn the French style quarter leather binding. The course covers the classic French binding including the deep French groove, edge finishing, leather headbands, paring leather and the leather joint.

The Split Spine Binding is an innovative case binding style that can be adapted to use with various types of text block constructions and sewing styles. The principle behind the Split Spine Binding is to construct a spine piece that can fold and move in a way as to allow a complete opening of the book. The structure was devised as a way to provide stability while maintaining flexibility for text blocks with unlined spines or other non-traditional sewing styles.

The woven structure binding was developed out of the deliberate desire to create a binding without the use of adhesive or thread. Thus, this innovative binding merges technical binding techniques with great design. Despite, or precisely because of its simplicity, it offers a tremendous number of variations for single and multiple signature bindings that work and open well. A special feature of this binding is that the individual signatures can easily be removed from the finished book. It will be a week full of experiments!

Are a book’s endbands part of the sewing? Is the endband a necessary component of the book? What are the functions of historical endbands? What does an endband from the 15th century look like?  We want to clarify these questions in this course and explore them in a theoretical and above all in a practical way. The study of historical endbands and their reproduction is the primary objective of this course. We will learn a variety of techniques selected from examples out of libraries and archives.