Course curriculum

    1. Hand-Stitched Private Community Link

    2. Hand-Stitched Supply List

    1. How to Navigate Through Your Class

    2. Welcome to Hand-Stitched!

    3. See How Your Class is Organized

    4. Visual Glossary of Bookbinding Supplies and Terminology

    5. The Bookbinding Overview: A Peek into the Process

    1. Using Clips: Part 1

    2. Using Clips: Part 2

    3. Using the Needle to Find Your Place

    4. Alternate Way to Mark Holes in Book Covers

    5. Punching Holes in Book Covers

    1. Cutting + Folding Paper: Part 1

    2. Cutting + Folding Paper: Part 2

    1. Cutting the Backerboard for Book Covers

    2. Lining the Book Covers

    1. Making a Viewing Frame

    2. Selecting Art for the Cover

    3. Sealing the Cover Art

About this course

  • $65.00
  • 39 lessons
  • 4.5 hours of video content

 Victoria says: 

"Yay, I loved this class!! Very organized with easy to follow steps and ideas for issues students might run into. I highly recommend this class for beginner or experienced bookbinders. Marabeth has an easy-going, peaceful nature that made it super low stress to follow along."      


Hand-Stitched Journals

Your Artwork + Gorgeous Bookbinding = STUNNING


These customized journals are perfect for:

• Gift-Giving

• Sketching

• Art Journaling

• Note-Taking

Making hand-made journals for your own development as an artist, or for sketching + painting, or to give as a beautiful one-of-a-kind gift is so satisfying.  Coptic Binding not only showcases your artwork on the cover so beautifully, but the delicate and colorful stitching allows the book to lay completely flat no matter where you open it.

You can use high-quality no-bleed dot paper for creative writing or bullet journaling, or heavy duty mixed media or watercolor paper for art journaling.  Any size, any purpose, the choices are all yours.  And so is the beautiful artwork on the cover.

Use Your Artwork to Make Beautiful Hand-Stitched Journals

Join Me!

HAND-STITCHED

With Coptic Binding, your journal will have colorful exposed stitching, lay flat anywhere you open it, and will blend perfectly with your artwork.

  • Coptic Binding Fundamentals: from terminology to tools, you will learn all you need to comfortably explore this technique

  • Step-By-Step Directions: from start to finish, you will learn how to create your own customized journals

  • Material Selection Guidance: clear advice on paper types, tools, threads and everything associated with journal making

  • Art Selection Process: we will make viewing frames and go through the steps of choosing and preparing the artwork that will perform best

  • Versatile Customizing: gain knowledge needed to confidently choose book size + paper type best suited for journaling, sketching or note-taking


ITEMS TO GATHER:

ARTWORK ON PAPER (or some substrate that can be glued to backerboard)

PAPER FOR LINING COVERS

1 PIECE OF SUBSTANTIAL WHITE SCRAP PAPER

SMALL JUNK WASHCLOTH OR TOWEL

PAINTER’S TAPE/MASKING TAPE

SCISSORS

RULER (12” metal ruler is handy for guidance while trimming)

HEAVY BOOKS (for weighting book covers while drying)

PENCIL

PAINTBRUSH + WATER (I will be using a 1” flat, but whatever you’re comfortable with will do)

PAPERCLIPS


TOOLS + SUPPLIES:

BACKERBOARD

PAPER FOR YOUR BOOK PAGES (I’m using 8.5x11 120gsm Dotted Unpunched Grid Paper)

UTILITY KNIFE and/or an X-ACTO KNIFE

SELF-HEALING CUTTING MAT

PORTABLE PAPER TRIMMER (Not required but highly recommended)

1-2 BULLDOG CLIPS (No. 4 Size) or BINDER CLIPS (at least 1.5” Size)

AWL (With this link, you can find economical sets with an awl, bone folder, threads + needles)

BONE FOLDER

BINDING THREAD

BINDING NEEDLE

PVA GLUE (Polyvinyl Acetate water-based bookbinding glue)

ACRYLIC MEDIUM (optional for use with thinner lining papers)

VARNISH (for sealing artwork)

**ON THE ACTUAL CLASS SUPPLY LIST, I OFFER SPECIFIC DETAILS + EXPLANATIONS FOR CERTAIN SUPPLIES, ALONG WITH THE SPECIFIC SUPPLIES I'M USING FOR THE PROJECT.


RESOURCES INCLUDED IN HAND-STITCHED

  1. A Visual Glossary Video Lesson of Bookbinding Terminology + Tools  so you feel comfortable and familiar with the learning process
  2. All of my Tips and Tricks I've learned along the way that will make your learning process go smoother
  3. Material Selection Guidance on choosing the needed tools and supplies to take you through the bookbinding process
  4. A Process for Selecting Artwork that enables you to discover which of your artwork and what portion of it will perform best on your book covers
  5. Step-by-Step Instruction on the Coptic Binding Technique
  6. Short Resource Videos of Binding Transition Points so you can easily find specific refresher details instead of having to search through class videos when you're making subsequent books
  7. Inclusion in Regular Live Q & A Calls that are scheduled approximately every 3 weeks.  These calls cover a wide range of topics related to mixed media art.  Q&A Playback Recording Links will be provided for those that cannot attend live.
  8. Access to ALL Q&A Playback Recordings from the past
  9. Private Facebook Group called "Hand-Stitched" for students of the class to share their work and ideas with one another
  10. Access to me via email for questions

FAQ

  • Is this class live or is it pre-recorded?

    This class is pre-recorded and completely self-paced. If you can't start right away or can't go through it all in one go, no matter! You have complete access to it for as long as you need.

  • How much is the course and can I get a refund if I don't like it?

    The class is $65 and you can get a refund if you don't like it. See full details at the bottom of the page.

  • How long will I have access to this class?

    You have access to Hand-Stitched indefinitely. I make classes with the hope that people will take the time they need to learn comfortably and not feel rushed. If I should ever decide to remove this class, you will be notified well in advance and given a year to finish.

  • Can I go through the class more than once?

    Since you have complete access, you can go through the class as many times as you like.

  • What if I need technical help?

    I take tech problems very seriously and send you an email and video with solutions to the most common problems and questions. If you ever encounter a problem outside of that scope, I will help you find a solution to any problem you have. And if I can't help you, I will find someone who can.

  • Is this course for me even if I have no experience stitching?

    Yes! When I learned Coptic Binding, I also had no experience with stitching or bookbinding. I take you step-by-step through the process. You'll do just fine.

  • Where can I ask additional questions about the class?

    For any follow up questions, email me at [email protected]

  • Can I get a refund if I don't like the class?

    Yes, you can! Please see my Refund Policy below for specific detail.

Put Your Art on Beautiful Journals

with Coptic Binding + Colorful Stitching

Get Early Bird Pricing Before It's Gone

Meet Your Instructor

Marabeth Quin

Instructor

I’m Marabeth Quin, a mixed media collage artist who is dedicated to merging technical mastery with a deep understanding of the emotional/mental influences that shape artistic expression. I love to help fellow artists uncover the critical connection between their potential and their capacity to embrace the sometimes chaotic path of creation. My classes foster resilience, embrace imperfections, and cultivate self-compassion as foundational pieces of the artistic journey.

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Refund Policy

Class Refund Policy

After you have read the full description of the class before purchasing, you will likely know if it’s a good fit for you and your skill/interest level.  

If you are unsatisfied with it after purchase, you can receive a full refund under certain conditions.  See the full refund policy here.