Book Making with John-Paul Flintoff!!!

Yesterday, I met up with Kathryn from Yes I Like That for a notebook making workshop with sewing blog favourite John-Paul Flintoff.  I know, I know, you can't really get much more rock and roll! It was lovely to meet Kathryn at last - her blog is one of my faves and it was only through reading this post of hers that I was made aware of the event in the first place. The event was held in the Ultralounge at Selfridges, which thrillingly has been turned into an in-store library.

John-Paul (yes, we're on first name terms now, we've both shaken hands with him, don't you know) started off by giving a potted history of his own story before talking us through the basics of making our own notebooks.  He had lots of examples of his own handmade books to show us, all literally made from bits of tat that were hanging around his house. Here's one with a self portrait on the back....

This one is covered with a remnant of one of his old shirts....

The endpapers from this one are an old map....  

I love this idea and may well make my map-loving father-in-law one like this.

We were then taught how to put together a simple A5 notebook of our own, showing off our hand sewing skills by sewing the sheets together. Admittedly we only had to sew three stitches, but it was sewing nevertheless!

Kathryn sewing: in black and white to disguise my blurry/rubbish photography skills 

The workshop was completely casual, but so much fun, and I took home bucket-loads of enthusiasm, plus the beginnings of a new skill.  In fact I was so buoyed up by my efforts, I bought some origami paper on the way home to finish off my book.  Look what I made:

My first little notebook with its own spine, a fabric cover and origami pattern end papers!  Yes, it's not perfect: it's a bit wonky and the end papers are in segments because the origami paper wasn't wide enough, but it's made entirely by hand and I loved making it.  As well as being charming, enthusiastic, thrifty, creative and extremely tall, John-Paul really urged his audience to try new things.  We don't have to be good at them and they don't have to be perfect (see above), it's the trying that's the important thing.  Thanks J-P, I couldn't agree more.  Have a great weekend everybody. x