Bookbinding Studio in Bishan: S$92 Notebook at Avant-Garde

Most people looking for a bookbinding studio in Singapore expect a quiet bindery in the city centre. Avant-Garde Art Space is somewhere else entirely: a pet-friendly craft studio on the fourth floor of Tailee Industrial Building, 39 Jalan Pemimpin, #04-03A, Singapore 577182, a short walk from Marymount MRT on the Circle Line. Its Leather Bookbinding workshop costs S$92 per person, lasts about three hours, and ends with a hand-stitched A5 notebook that carries your own stamped initials.

Jalan Pemimpin is a light-industrial strip between Bishan and Upper Thomson, lined with older flatted factories that now hold a mix of printers, small manufacturers and studios. Avant-Garde sits inside one of them, so the arrival is part of the character: a building lobby, a lift, and then a bright room on level four where tables are set out for painting, crafts and music sessions. The building has its own carpark at the lobby, though spaces are subject to availability.

The studio describes itself as a beginner-friendly art and craft space for all ages, and it means it. The same room hosts acrylic pour sessions, portrait painting, bear-making and ukulele painting, which keeps the mood loose rather than precious. Dogs, cats and even rabbits are welcome, according to its own FAQ, so do not be surprised if a four-legged visitor wanders past while you are lining up your holes.

The workshop page promises three unhurried hours, and the structure follows the order a binder would use. You start by choosing your cover from the studio's leather options, then prepare the paper. Next comes the hand sewing, which binds the text block to the cover with waxed thread. The last step is personal: you stamp your initials into the cover with metal letter stamps, so the finished book is clearly yours rather than a shop-bought copy.

Materials are listed plainly on the page: vegan leather, waxed thread, kraft paper, and metal and polyester accessories. That matters if you are expecting hide. The cover is a leather-look vegan material, which is easier to cut and punch for beginners and suits anyone who avoids animal products. The kraft paper pages give the notebook a warm, slightly rustic feel, good for sketching, journaling or pressing tickets and receipts from a trip.

The finished piece is an A5 notebook, roughly the size of a standard paperback, which means it fits in most tote bags. Because every student picks the cover colour, thread and initials, two notebooks from the same session rarely look alike. The studio calls each one a one-of-a-kind piece, and that is a fair description of what you carry home on the train.

Avant-Garde frames the class around a 500-year-old Japanese bookbinding technique. Traditional Japanese bindings are sewn through the cover and pages near the spine edge, so the thread stays visible and becomes part of the design. That is different from Western case binding, where stitching hides behind a glued spine and rounded boards. For a first-timer, an exposed-stitch binding is forgiving: you see every pass of the needle and can correct mistakes as you go.

The workshop page does not name the exact stitch pattern taught, so expect the tutor to show the method on the day rather than reading about it in advance. What the page does make clear is that everything is hand-stitched, with no machines or glue guns doing the work for you. If you enjoy the rhythm of the sewing, the same principle opens up dozens of variations you can try at home with an awl, needle and thread.

The studio runs several sessions, and comparing them on price and time helps. Leather Bookbinding at S$92 for three hours is the most practical object on the list, something you will actually use every day. The DIY Plush Keychain is close in price at S$89 for three hours, while the Guided Art Jam and Acrylic Pour are lighter commitments at S$50 each, two hours and an hour and a half respectively. Portrait Painting runs three hours for S$70.

If you are buying for a teenager, note the minimum age of 10 for bookbinding. If you are planning a birthday, bachelorette party or corporate team session, the studio accepts private events, and the bookbinding format works well because everyone leaves with something useful rather than another canvas to store. Couples can share a booking, according to the FAQ, though each person still makes a notebook of their own.

There is no online checkout. Avant-Garde asks you to send a WhatsApp message or an email with your name, the number of people, the date and time you want, and the workshop you have chosen. The Book a Slot button on the site opens a WhatsApp chat directly. Groups are kept small, with a maximum of eight people for the bookbinding session, so weekend slots can fill quickly when a party books several seats at once.

Because the studio is open every day from noon, it is easy to fit a session into a weekday evening as well as a weekend afternoon. A late slot suits people coming from work in the city, since the Circle Line runs directly to Marymount from Bishan, Botanic Gardens and Dhoby Ghaut. Bring nothing but yourself, as all materials are included in the S$92 price.

The studio's own directions point you to Marymount MRT, which sits at 60 Marymount Road on the Circle Line. From the station, the walk to Jalan Pemimpin passes through a quiet stretch of industrial buildings and landed houses, and it is a pleasant approach once the afternoon heat has softened.

For a meal or a coffee afterwards, Thomson Plaza at 301 Upper Thomson Road is the nearest large mall, with food courts, cafes and a supermarket under one roof. If you would rather be outdoors, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park stretches between Bishan Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, with the naturalised Kallang River running through it. Taking your new notebook there for a first sketch or journal entry is a fitting way to finish the day.

Address: Avant-Garde Art Space, 39 Jalan Pemimpin, #04-03A Tailee Industrial Building, Singapore 577182, near Marymount MRT. Opening hours are Monday to Sunday, 12 pm to 10 pm. Leather Bookbinding costs S$92 per person, runs about three hours, takes a maximum of eight people, and is open to ages 10 and up.

The cover material is vegan leather, the pages are kraft paper, and the thread is waxed. Pets are welcome in the studio. Parking is available at the building lobby carpark when there are spaces, but the MRT is the simpler option on weekends. If you want a more traditional bindery experience with leather and book cloth, combine this taster with a longer course elsewhere in the city.