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Bookbinding & Journal Making Experience at the Farmland Museum - March 2026

  • Writer: siloutaggart
    siloutaggart
  • Mar 30
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 9

Yesterday's fabric bound bookbinding & journal making experience taught by our guest tutor Zakiya - bookbinder & junk journal artist from Fanoggins - was really successful. We had a wonderfully creative group of students who made their own unique journals with fabric spines and stitched in "signatures" from scratch. Having attended this workshop previously, I, Louise, joined in and added some embellishments and junk journalling elements to the inside pages of the journal I had already created.


The morning started with each of the group selecting lots of different papers for the internal pages of their journals. These were then separated into signatures (smaller batches of papers). Zakiya then taught everyone how to stitch them together using a simple binding stitch. As the spines are covered in fabric, this stitching doesn't have to be so neat!


The group then set about gluing their signatures together, ensuring they had everything the right way up.

Having chosen the fabric for their spines, Zakiya explained how to cut it and stick it to the bundles of signatures with enough slack for the pages to turn and using the correct adhesive.

The journals were then placed in presses so they could be squished flat during lunch.


In the afternoon, everyone enjoyed designing the covers of their journals using various papers, fabrics & ephemera. Some were themed - one lady created a beautiful wedding-themed journal, as she's getting married next year. Another student used some of her own fabric she had made using the gel plate printing method, and also added some of her own gel plate pages inside her journal. Another brought in some fabric she'd used for curtains back in the 60s, so we had a very retro theme there.

The covers were carefully stuck to the fronts and backs of the journals which were then put back in the presses while everyone carried on choosing some interesting ephemera and inserts for the inside pages.


Zakiya then gave us a demonstration on how to heat emboss, using an embossing gun and powders. It's like magic! The powders turn beautifully shiny and metallic-looking, providing a lovely flourish. I added some heat-embossed picture frames to the front of my journal.


The wonderful thing about these journal-making experiences is that you can continue to fill your journal at home over the next months - or even years. Your journal could be themed or simply a collection of pretty inserts, envelopes, thoughts, poetry ... you can stitch in it, glue in it, rip bits up, paint in it, add stickers or memorabilia, photos, drawings ...


This was a lovely, relaxing experience - such a therapeutic craft!


Zakiya is joining us to teach a number of papercraft and bookbinding experiences this year. Check out the details below: PAPER MAKING - Full Day Including Lunch - Blended Monkey Studios

- Saturday 23 May - £95.00


PAPER MAKING - Full Day Including Lunch - Blended Monkey Studios

- Sunday 12 July - £95.00


BOOKBINDING & JOURNAL MAKING - Full Day Including Lunch - Blended Monkey Studios

- Saturday 26 September - £80.00


All our experiences make lovely crafty GIFTS & you can also purchase open certificates so the lucky recipient can choose their own experience.

Here's the link for our gift certificates:

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We can also provide private journal making experiences for parties or friend groups. We can come to you, host in the Blended Monkey studios, or at a venue of your choice!



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REVIEWS



"Had a most enjoyable day course on creating and binding a journal at the Farmland Museum at Denny Abbey, with Zakiya, our most informative, helpful and generous tutor! Ended up with a quirky and fun little book! Thank you."


- Questril -


"I had a creative yet relaxing and mindful experience with the "Bookbinding and Journal" group workshop. It was easy to follow our tutor Zakiya's instructions on the big screen, after which she helped us individually wherever needed. Zakiya has a calm and cheerful manner which completes a delightful day.

I was quite proud of my creation and look forward to adding more embellishments in the future. It was a brilliant Birthday Present!"


- Jenny -


"A brilliant day devoted to crafting with no interruptions at the Farmland Museum in Waterbeach. My niece and I had a great time making a junk/scrapbooking journal and building in additional elements for the inside with working parts!

Zakiya is an extremely patient tutor and is skilled and makes sure her coaching is set at the right level for us students. Many thanks to both Zakiya and Louise for their hospitality and expertise.“


- Sarah & Stephanie -










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