Join Me For a Day in the Bindery

No two days are the same up here. Some are steady and quiet, others more hands-on and full of conversations. But for the curious — here’s what a typical day might look like in the bindery.

It often starts quietly.

Downstairs, I fire up the coffee machine. The floorboards creak as I make my way up with a coffee in hand. Morning light falls across the workbench — soft and slanted — picking up dust on the edge of the book press and the grain of the timber shelves. There’s always the familiar smell: glue, linen thread, a hint of leather.

Before anything else, I sharpen a blade.

Sometimes that’s all I do for the first ten minutes — just prepare. Hone a knife, sweep the bench, line up the tools. It’s a small ritual, but it helps me settle into the day.

First job of the morning: materials.

If I’m binding something new, I’ll start by choosing the right cloth or paper.  Some jobs call for bright book cloth, others need something more subtle — aged goatskin, calf, hand-marbled endpapers, or paper we’ve had for years but never quite found the

right project for.

Restoration jobs are different — they start with a long look. What’s missing? What’s fragile? What can be saved? Sometimes it’s just a new spine.

Other times, I’ll take the whole thing apart and rebind it, true to its original form.

I like working with silence. Or music. Or the radio. Depends on the job.

There’s a rhythm to binding that rewards focus — folding, sewing, pressing. You don’t want to rush. And when I’m not rushing, I notice more: how the paper takes the crease, how the thread pulls through the signature, how the book slowly comes together.

Tools wear down. Routines shift. But your hands remember.

I still use some of the same tools I trained with over 20 years ago. Others I’ve made or had created to suit. And every now and then, I’ll come across a technique I haven’t seen in years — something buried in muscle memory that comes back the moment I pick up the right tool.

People often ask what my favourite part of the job is.

It’s not one task, really. It’s the quiet satisfaction of seeing something finished — knowing it’ll last. Or when someone brings in a family heirloom and trusts me to bring it back to life. There’s a responsibility in that, but also a lot of joy.

If you’re curious to see more of the bindery, you can follow along on Instagram — we share a bit of the process there regularly.

If you’ve been thinking about learning bookbinding, our in-bindery workshops are currently full — but we may have a few extra spots opening up soon. Keep an eye on socials, or get in touch if you’d like to be first to know.

Our online course, The Beginner’s Bookbinding Blueprint: is also returning this August. The waitlist is open now if you’d like to join us from home. Click here to join the waitlist.