Stoke Newington Bookbinding Studio: £118 Saturday Class

Not every bookbinding studio in London is a big institution. We Make Books! is an artist-led company that teaches the craft in a small studio in Stoke Newington, at V22, 3-9 Belfast Road, London N16 6UN. Its own about page describes the space as small but well equipped, and it runs one-day workshops there roughly once a month. The appeal is simple: a single tutor, a handful of students and a finished book to carry home at the end of the day.

We Make Books! describes itself as an educational company that promotes bookbinding and the book as an art object in its own right, through courses, exhibitions and events. Much of its work happens away from the studio, in galleries, schools, colleges and fairs across London and the UK. Its client list includes the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, the Holburne Museum in Bath and the Ben Uri Gallery in London, which gives a sense of the level of teaching on offer.

The tutor named on the current workshop pages is Lina Avramidou. Rather than a fixed curriculum, the studio sessions rotate through different structures, so the calendar reads like a menu of historical and modern bindings. An October class covered multi-section case binding, the hardback structure most people picture when they think of a real book, and the December dates turn to two non-adhesive styles that rely on sewing rather than glue.

On Saturday 5 December 2026 the studio runs Secret Belgian Binding, also called crisscross binding. The workshop page explains that it was invented by a Belgian bookbinder in the mid-1980s and uses a three-piece cover with a woven-looking sewing pattern across the spine. It is a striking structure that opens flat, which makes it good for sketchbooks and albums. The fee is £118 and includes all materials, and the session runs from 11 am to 4 pm.

The next day, Sunday 6 December 2026, covers Coptic binding with a slipcase for £125, again with all materials included and the same 11 am to 4 pm timing. Coptic binding is an ancient, non-adhesive structure with hard covers and exposed sewing on the spine, and it opens completely flat. In the second half of the day students make a bookcloth slipcase, an open-edged box that protects the book while leaving the spine on show.

Both workshops are pitched at complete beginners as well as people with some experience, and each student leaves with handouts so the structure can be repeated at home. If you want to try both, booking the Saturday and Sunday together gives you two contrasting bindings in one weekend and a matching pair of books, which is a satisfying way to start a shelf of your own work.

Why start with sewn rather than glued books? Non-adhesive structures are forgiving for beginners, because there is no drying time to wait out and a crooked stitch can be undone and redone. They also teach the core skills of folding signatures, piercing sewing stations and tensioning thread, which carry straight over to case binding later. For many students, a crisscross or Coptic book is the moment the craft finally clicks.

If the dates do not suit, the website also sells bookmaking kits and gift vouchers, a thoughtful present for anyone who loves stationery but has never made a book. The kits let you practise a structure at the kitchen table, and a voucher lets the recipient choose a class later. There is also a consultation and commissions service for people who need a one-off book, a portfolio or a special edition made rather than taught.

Workshops for groups can be tailored to any occasion, theme, age group and experience level, according to the about page, with all materials and equipment provided. That makes the company a good option for a team day, a hen party with a creative bent or a school project. Contact is by email through the website, as there is no public shop counter to drop into.

The mix of studio days and outside teaching also explains the calendar. Because the tutor spends much of the year running sessions in galleries, schools and at fairs, the Stoke Newington dates are fixed well in advance and announced in blog posts on the website. Reading back through those posts is a useful way to see which structures come round again, such as multi-section case binding, if a date you wanted has already passed.

Stoke Newington is one of the most walkable corners of Hackney, and a workshop day fits neatly into a slow loop of the neighbourhood. Church Street is lined with independent bookshops, cafes and delis, a fitting place for lunch if you are attending both days. Clissold Park, with its lakes, deer enclosure and Georgian house, is the obvious green space for a stroll after a morning of careful sewing.

Closer to Stamford Hill, Abney Park Cemetery is a wild, overgrown Victorian garden cemetery and nature reserve, one of London's Magnificent Seven. Its ivy-covered monuments and woodland paths make an atmospheric walk on a winter afternoon. Stoke Newington station on the Overground is the easiest rail link, and buses along the high street connect the area to Dalston and Liverpool Street.

Address: We Make Books Studio, V22, 3-9 Belfast Road, London N16 6UN. There are no public opening hours, because the studio opens on workshop days only, so plan your visit around a booked class. Book through the link on each workshop page, and keep an eye on the newsletter, which the company uses to announce future workshops, courses and events. The studio is small, so places are limited by design.

Arrive a few minutes before 11 am so you can settle in before the first demonstration, and bring a packed lunch or plan a quick break nearby. Clothes that can handle a little glue are wise for the slipcase day. Above all, come with a project in mind, whether that is a travel journal, a photo album or a sketchbook, because the structures you learn here are designed to be used rather than kept on a shelf.