Monday 16 January 2023

Bookbinding for Valentines on marvellous Mersea Island


Come and cut and fold paper to make a unique heart shaped book, that you can fill with love, friendship and kindness, for that special someone in your life; your partner, a best friend, a new grandchild.

We will make a heart shape book in this workshop, filled with paper, cut to shape. There is a lot of cutting of the paper to shape, but as with all binding, satisfying to make.

The book will be sewn, lined and finished in red of course. The hard part will be deciding if you will keep it for yourself or give it away!


In this season of chocolates and red hearts, I wondered how and when did the heart become associated with romance in Western culture? The early Egyptians believed the heart was the seat of the soul, the Greeks, the seat of both reason and emotion.


By the Medieval era heart-shaped books were composed of hand written love poetry, often illuminated, folios stitched together, and when the book is opened it blossoms, so to speak, into a heart. The oldest surviving example is Danish, made in the 1500’s. 


Includes all materials and use of tools. Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided.


To book  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/516982076307


Google medieval heart books to see more.