Book Binding Workshop

Recent reviews of Book Binding Workshop

• 5/5 from Morag Lawrie, attended Aug 2026: Great teacher, patient and helpful. Fantastic value for money and the opportunity to buy beautifully hand crafted tools. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Only slight criticism was actually finding the venue on the industrial estate but it was a great course and Ali was a joy.
• 5/5 from Tracey Clarke, attended Aug 2026: Fabulous workshop which introduced a range of techniques, the tutor was engaging and knowledgeable. There was a good selection of materials and equipment to work with to. I would recommend to anyone interested in learning a new skill, the books made were great. Thank you
• 5/5 from Jessie Mann, attended May 2026: Better than could have asked for! We had a brilliant day (that passed in a flash!) in Ali’s warehouse studio making 4 different types of notebooks. We learnt new techniques, had fun, and trusted ourselves in the process thanks to our patience teacher. Ali was a wonderful, friendly, supportive teacher who got our class of 8 through all the steps. She made us feel welcome and made us believe in ourselves. (Rule Number 1 Don’t Panic. rule Number 2 Don’t Doubt yourself.) The books made are beautiful and the whole experience was so creative and fun! (Plus actually therapeutic too)… Great crafty place and day, I would highly recommend to any book / journal lovers out there. I went with my Mum and we were both buzzing the whole day and after the class too. Thank you so so so much Ali at Stamps Away! x
• 5/5 from Lesley Gramegna, attended May 2026: Enjoyed the bookbinding workshop, made four books by different methods. Instruction was clear and Ali ready to help when we got stuck. Really good atmosphere, everyone engaged and friendly. Would certainly go again
• 5/5 from Stephanie Bryant, attended May 2026: Course was paced well with lots of instruction. Ali encouraged us to be individual if we wanted, showing other ways things could be done. She was very relaxed, not precious about materials helped one to one if needed. Atmosphere was very relaxed, Ali genuinely wanted us to be able to carry on making lovely books.
• 5/5 from Johanna Campbell, attended Mar 2026: Loved this quick paced, fun & informative class. Ali was really supportive- on hand to help at all times, moving around the whole group, supporting us. Thanks for the refreshments & donuts I will join another class as this one because of Ali was so good.
• 5/5 from Christina Gamble, attended Feb 2026: Super class with a lovely, encouraging and supportive teacher. So much choice of papers and fabrics. Would recommend to anyone looking for a for a great day of learning fun!
• 5/5 from Sharron, attended Feb 2026: Absolutely brilliant class. Relaxed, fun, made loads of books and a great teacher who made it really easy and fun to learn. 100% recommend.
• 5/5 from Annie Mehdi, attended Dec 2025: Fab class, really enjoyed it.
• 5/5 from Rachel Smith, attended Nov 2025: Ali was a really great tutor. Very knowledgeable, friendly and informative. We were taught how to make four different books. The pace of the workshop was great, so was suitable for beginners and those who had done bookbinding before. Will definitely be back for future workshops.
• 5/5 from Sonia Wiles, attended Nov 2025: Wow, had a lovely time, Ali is a very good teacher, kind, patient and informative. Get loads done. Money well spent on a lovely day. Will definitely be booking another workshop doing something else. Thank you Ali x
• 3/5 from Susan Scott, attended Nov 2025: I enjoyed the course content & what i learnt & produced. The tutor was friendly, knowledgeable & very enthusiastic. The coloured papers we used were nice but the paper was photocopy paper & it would have been nice for one of the books we made to be a higher quality paper. The cord/thread used to collate the books was craft quality & again it would have been good to use proper book binding thread for one of the books. HOWEVER the reason for my score is due to the very poor health & safety of the facilities in the room & surroundings which leave much be desired!! The tutor didnt do an initial H & S intro - just told people where the toilets were when they asked. There was only one entry/exit via a steep set of steps & no mention of fire regs/any other exit (?). The room was very cramped & there were too many people on the course with very little space between each person around the table. Very little space to walk around the room, nowhere to hang a coat or put a bag. The access to the room, via a steep set of steps would not be accessible to less mobile people. There were tea/coffee making items but no tap or bottled water or glasses for water although i did take my own water bottle. There were 2 very smelly, muddy, large dogs in the room for the whole day & although they were quiet after initially making friends with us, the smell of them was in the room all day with dog toys around the floor. There are no windows or ventilation in the room so the smell lingered all day! In hind sight i should have mentioned these points before i left. I have done many courses in many venues & felt i just put up with the smell & lack of space & ventilation. For these reasons i am sorry but i will not be returning to this venue again to do any more workshops.
• 5/5 from Muriel Funck, attended Oct 2025: Great Class with Ali, we got to explore four different types of Book Binding under the watchful eyes of two adorable dogs.
• 5/5 from Janet Ball, attended Oct 2025: Made 4 bound books. Ali made it so straight forward with class at just the right pace. A great day!!!
• 5/5 from Rosemary Chapman, attended Aug 2025: Really enjoyed the class, very well explained instructions on process and using the tools. Friendly atmosphere and a very good class. Very happy with the books I made.
• 5/5 from Aatika Seedat, attended Jul 2025: This class was amazing! We got to make 4 different types of books. The instructor was patient, encouraging and very positive.
• 5/5 from Stephen C Burnage, attended May 2025: A thoroughly enjoyable class that was pitched at just the right level to challenge, engage and keep our interest. Each of the four techniques was clearly and patiently explained and we felt supported through every step of the process. My wife and I both left with four lovely (well, we think so) notebooks as a great momento of a super day.
• 5/5 from Suzanne Allcock, attended May 2025: Was an excellent teacher for all of us who are beginning our journey in book binding. So over the course of the day learnt how to do basic pamphlet binds to the more advanced naked spine decorated with with embroidery threads and embellishments. Wonderful course and an inspiring teacher.
• 5/5 from Jan Deck, attended Apr 2025: This was a great course - the teacher made it really fun and enjoyable, and I came away with four books that I'd made - each using different techniques!!! Fantastic!!!
• 5/5 from Helen Cassidy, attended Mar 2025: Excellent class. Teacher was very knowledgeable and so patient. Made 4 lovely books using all different skills in a really relaxed and friendly environment. Tea, coffee and doughnuts available to help ourselves to and gorgeous hugs from the beautiful dogs on site too.
• 4/5 from Fran Baylis, attended Feb 2025: Great day! Excellent teacher with fabulous assistants (Tonk and Marvin). Can’t wait to try it at home!
• 5/5 from Bali Sethi, attended Jan 2025: A wonderful class hosted by a knowledge, warm, very personable teacher called Ally. She explained everything really well and the class was structured well allowing us to grasp the basics before getting ambitious! Highly recommended
• 5/5 from Angela Henderson, attended Jan 2025: The booking was easy and the class was fantastic. Ali the teacher was knowledgeable, and very generous with it. Well go to another of her classes
• 5/5 from Sarah Hawkins, attended Nov 2024: Fascinating insight into bookbinding and the opportunity to make our own books using different techniques. Tutor was very knowledgeable and gave group demonstrations and lots of individual attention. Interesting day.
• 5/5 from Nadia Buttice, attended Nov 2024: Such a fantastic class, my friends and I all came away with 4 beautiful notebooks each! The instructor super friendly and very knowledgeable, helping us to learn the basics and giving us tips so we can try on our own. Highly recommend this class
• 5/5 from Jo Hebb, attended Sep 2024: Excellent fun and came away with 4 books I made. Clear and helpful tutor who encouraged the class throughout. A no pressure enjoyable day.
• 5/5 from Lee Duffield, attended Aug 2024: Great introduction to bookbinding the course with Run in a very friendly and professional manner which I enjoyed immensely looking forward to other book boarding courses coming on soon
• 5/5 from Elaine Massey, attended Jun 2024: A great day! Full of activity and information alongside good company coffee and pastries! Complete books to take home along with lots of ideas for future projects!
• 5/5 from Sally Thompson, attended Jun 2024: Fantastic day - my sister and I came away more than happy with our handmade books and new bookbinding knowledge. The tutor was very friendly and knowledgeable about the subject. Would recommend.
• 5/5 from Baljit Birdi, attended Jun 2024: Great class for introduction into Book Binding. Easy to follow and great atmosphere. Thanks Ali
• 5/5 from Katie Plant, attended Mar 2024: This workshop was incredible! It was so lovely to learn something that is considered a dying art - but we can keep it alive! Ally was genuinley so knowledgable and funny. I was a really relaxed session, and beginner friendly. The class wasn't too large that you didn't get any 1:1 tutilidge and the goldies really added to the rustic nature of the craft. They were so friendly and were almost like therapy dogs! So if you're an anxious crafter, they really help to calm you down. I was worried a little about the workshop being chilly, but they made sure that it was lovely and warm. There was also somewhere to make teas and coffee and there were sweet treats on offer. The class was also incredible value for money - I travelled up from London to take part and it cost me less than a book-binding course in the city. I learned technical vocabulary for the craft and was taking notes as I went, as well as tips and tricks for practicing at home. There is also the opportunity to buy the kit at the end so you can take it home with you. Due to my traveling, I was able to pay for it there and have it shipped back home for me which was really helpful. Ally even gave me a lift back into Market Harborough afterwards which was lovely. I will definitely be booking into the intermediate course later in the year! The only thing I would say is that the workshop is downstairs and not accessable for anyone who has poor mobility or wheelchair-based disabilities. Although I am sure that if this was communicated to Ally in advance, she may be able to accommodate elsewhere. But just to keep this in mind.
• 5/5 from Louise Halbert, attended Jan 2024: Fantastic class - inspiring and so creative. Loved the energy of the teacher and despite it being quite a large class, she listened to everyone and tailored her teaching to incorporate everyone's interest! Would highly recommend and we'll be doing some other courses that they offer
• 5/5 from Helen Thompson, attended Apr 2023: Really lovely, knowledgeable and helpful teacher, and great atmosphere. Good value too. Thank you very much