Geylang Bookbinding Studio: S$110 Class at Based Book Arts

Based Book Arts is about as close as Singapore gets to a dedicated hand bookbinding school. Founder Yang Shihui trained in book arts in London and now teaches from a third-floor unit in the Work + Store Building at 71 Lorong 23 Geylang, #03-15, Singapore 388386, just across the overhead bridge from Aljunied MRT. Classes run from S$110 for a three-hour long stitch book up to S$220 for a full afternoon of case binding, with every tool and material supplied.

Yang Shihui enrolled at the London College of Communication in 2012 for a three-year course in Book Arts and Design, according to a 2025 profile in The Peak. After graduating in 2015 she volunteered at the London Centre for Book Arts, the East London open-access bindery, before starting her own studio in 2019. She later took the studio with her to Canberra in Australia, and by mid-2025 she had moved back to Singapore.

The studio's own description is direct: an independent creative workshop specialising in book arts and teaching book making. That focus shows in the timetable. Instead of one craft class among many, almost every session here is a binding structure, from Japanese stab sewing to Coptic, French link and hardcover case binding. It is also a working practice that takes commissions for one-off books, so you are learning in a room where real books get made.

The studio gives clear directions. Take the train to Aljunied MRT on the East-West Line, leave by Exit B, cross the overhead bridge and the Work + Store building is on the opposite side. Buses 40, 62, 63, 80, 100, 125, 125A, 137 and 158 also stop nearby. Geylang's numbered lorongs can be confusing, so following the bridge from Exit B is the simplest route.

There is one house rule worth knowing before you arrive. The doors are only unlocked 10 minutes before a workshop starts, and the lift needs an access card. Message the studio when you reach the lift lobby and someone will bring you up. Arriving far too early means waiting downstairs, so time your trip to land about ten minutes ahead of the start.

For a first visit, Long Stitch Binding is the gentlest start at S$110 for three hours, usually 2 pm to 5 pm, with a maximum of eight people. You make one book measuring 150 by 198 millimetres with 160 pages, sewn through the cover so the stitching shows on the spine. The next dates include 31 October, 6 November, 29 November and several more running into early 2027.

If you like pattern, Japanese Stab Binding is the better value. It costs S$135 for three and a half hours, from 1:30 pm to 5 pm, with a cap of seven, and you leave with four small books in four stitch variations: the basic four-hole, hemp leaf, noble and tortoise shell. French Link Stitch and Coptic Binding, at S$120 for the same length, produces an exposed-spine book of 128 pages using the french link, link and kettle stitches.

The longer classes build real objects. Leather Bound Journal costs S$180 for four hours and pairs a long stitch text block of 176 pages with a genuine vegetable-tanned leather cover. Watercolour Sketchbook, also four hours, makes a lay-flat hardcover with 48 pages of 300gsm Baohong cotton paper, priced at S$180 with paper supplied or S$170 if you bring your own sheets. Class sizes for these top out at six to eight.

Case Binding is the flagship at S$220 for five hours, from 1 pm to 6 pm, and produces a hardcover book with 128 pages sewn with French link stitch. This is the structure behind most bookshop hardbacks, with boards, a covered spine and endpapers, and it rewards anyone who has already done one of the shorter classes. With a maximum of six students, there is plenty of time for individual help.

Every workshop page says no experience is needed and that all materials and tools are provided. Fees are not refundable, and a class needs at least two participants to go ahead. The studio is SG Culture Pass eligible, so Singaporeans can use their credits toward a session. If none of the dates suit, an Open Slot option lets you submit your preferred day and time, and the studio replies to arrange it.

Private and corporate workshops are requested through a form on each class page, and the studio also takes commissions for custom-made books through a consultation booking. For anyone planning a wedding guestbook or a self-published zine with a proper binding, that commission route is worth exploring. Bookings for regular classes are made on the website, and questions go to hello@basedbookarts.com.

Based Book Arts has also taken its binding out of the studio. It has run evening Coptic and French link pop-ups at Co. @ Duxton, 99 Duxton Road, #02-00, in Tanjong Pagar, aimed at people finishing work in the city. No new pop-up dates are listed right now, so the Geylang studio is the place to learn.

After class, the Geylang Serai area to the east is an easy trip by train or bus. Sri Sivan Temple stands at 24 Geylang East Avenue 2 beside Paya Lebar MRT. Wisma Geylang Serai, the Malay heritage and community hub, is at 1 Engku Aman Turn, and the nearby Geylang Serai Market food centre is a busy place to eat before heading home.

Address: Based Book Arts, Work + Store Building, 71 Lorong 23 Geylang, #03-15, Singapore 388386. The nearest station is Aljunied MRT, Exit B. The studio works by scheduled workshop rather than walk-in shop hours, so book a class or an Open Slot before you travel. Email hello@basedbookarts.com or message on Instagram at @basedbookarts.

Prices from the official workshop pages: Long Stitch S$110, Japanese Stab Binding S$135, French Link and Coptic S$120, Leather Bound Journal S$180, Watercolour Sketchbook S$180 or S$170 with your own paper, and Case Binding S$220. Fees are non-refundable, classes need a minimum of two people, and SG Culture Pass credits are accepted.