Upcycled Book Online Class April 16 & 23

Upcycled Book Online Class
Two Sundays: April 16 & 23, 1:30-4pm MT
Instructor: Kristen Lewis
Limit: 15 students. Includes class kit + shipping
To receive your kit in time for the class, register by April 9.

Class Details:

We’re big fans of upcycling! We particularly like how local book artist Kristen Lewis has created new life for old, abandoned books by turning them into unique journals. Their blank pages are begging to be filled with new stories and drawings. 

In this multi-session class you’ll learn Kristen’s process as well as ways to use it for other hardback books. She demonstrates how to upcycle and decorate the book covers, how to prepare pages, and how to work with jig-making/registration. For the binding she teaches the beautiful Coptic chain stitch, which is similar to the embroidery stitch and is the simplest of the Coptic bindings to learn. 

The two live class sessions make good use of community time together, and are supplemented by two instructional videos so you can do some work offline and at your own pace. Assemble and decorate your book during the week, then come to the second session to check in. It’s a time for everyone to share what they discovered – both challenges and surprises. It’s also a time for Kristen to show more advanced variations on upcycled books; some of them are mind boggling. 

Your reward for the week’s work is a unique journal that has a history and more stories to tell. After seeing Kristen’s re-imagined books, we’re feeling the need to scour our bookshelves to find a few candidates for upcycling! 

The class kit includes a set of covers, the correctly sized blank pages, and other fun materials. The total homework for the class takes about 2-½ to 3 hours: about 1 hour before the first live session and 1-½ to 2 hours before the second live session. Since everyone’s pace is different, please allow yourself plenty of time for the homework.

This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 10 days after the class.

Class Materials

Please bring the following materials:

• Scissors
• Bookbinding Awl
• Old magazine, newsprint, or other paper for keeping glue off the work surface.
• Xacto knife with extra blades
• Cutting mat or other surface for punching/cutting
• 12” ruler (metal)
• Glue: Lineco PVA or Alene’s Tacky Glue. Both are acid free and dry in a flexible way. A glue brush is included in your kit.
• Optional: pencil
• Optional but very useful: bone folder
• Optional but very useful: damp paper towels, hand towels, or baby wipes in case of glue mistakes and to keep fingers clean

Class Kit Includes:

• Templates, handouts & information
• Covers + some illustrated pages from an old Reader's Digest book
• Glue brush
• A few sets of decorative paper
  
• Page paper, cut to size
• Bookbinding needle & thread

We ship class kits approximately 2 weeks before the class via USPS Priority Mail. You will receive a tracking number (check your spam folder) once your kit ships. Kits can only be shipped within the USA. If you’re outside the USA and would like to take the class, please contact us for information.

Zoom Info

Be sure to look for an email with class details sent out the Monday before the class. The email includes a Zoom link to login, the class agenda, a materials list, and information on any pre-class prep. You’ll also receive a reminder email the day before the class. If you don’t see the class email from us check your spam folder. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered. It's on your order confirmation. If there's still an issue, contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com.

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy

For cancellation made 3 weeks before class we can either issue a refund or apply the funds to another class. We deduct the price of the class kit plus shipping if we’ve already shipped the kit, and we retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled. If you cancel fewer than 3 weeks before the class there is no refund or credit. If Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, we’ll contact you by email and refund the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Kristen Law Lewis was bitten by the book-bug in the last semester of her undergrad Studio Art studies at University of Colorado. She’s made all kinds of books since - founding Papercuts Press in 2005. She later pursued artifact conservation, a second love, and earned a degree in Museum Studies. Kristen mixes her time between sculpture, bookmaking, teaching, and caring for museum collections. She has taught bookbinding classes since 2007 and brings a gentle, engaging, and informative approach to guiding class projects.

"My work is largely driven by materials and process. I love the challenge of physically incorporating something special into what I make. Upcycling, repurposing, and reducing waste are key interests in my studio practice. I think a lot about where things come from, and where they are going. I'm enamored with material objects - modifying their past significance to construct a relevance for them today."

Read Two Hands Paperie’s Artist Interview with Kristen

Visit her website at papercutspress.com