From the Workbench

From the Workbench is a peek at what's happening between the bonefolders, paper stacks, and cat naps.

These aren't blog posts - they're notes in the margin.

Quick moments, small messes, good stories in the making.

Like peeking over our shoulders, minus the awkward eye contact.

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A Few Things Since January

A BIBLE FROM MAUI

One of the more memorable projects to visit the bench arrived from a neighboring island.

This well-loved Bible was sent from Maui as a birthday gift from three sisters to their mother. By the time it reached us, years of use had taken their toll, and the book was ready for a new binding.

Living and working in Hawaiʻi presents some unique challenges. Unlike many conservators, we can't always meet every client in person. The ocean has a way of turning what might be a short drive elsewhere into a Zoom meeting and a shipment.

For projects like this, much of the initial assessment happens through photographs and conversations before the book ever arrives at the studio. It's a different way of working, but one that allows us to help preserve books and family treasures throughout the islands.

In the end, the Bible received a new binding and was returned home in time for a very special birthday celebration.

Two tone Bible in a box. Shipped to the studio for rebinding.

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A YAPP JOURNAL

Every so often a project arrives that pushes us outside our usual routines.

This custom journal featured a Yapp-style cover and an interior pocket—two details that required a little extra planning and a lot of careful fitting along the way.

Stack of lined journal signatures in the process of being sewn. A text block where the spine has been rounded and strengthened through lining. A decorative headband has been added.

One of the things we enjoy most about custom commissions is that they keep us learning. Even after years of making books, there are always new approaches to explore and new challenges waiting around the corner.

Open notebook with lined pages held by a hand on a light surface

This journal was certainly one of them.

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A VISITOR FROM JAPAN

One of the projects that landed on the bench this year was a Japanese board book edition of the Three Little Pigs.

Vintage children's book with illustrations of pigs on a textured white background Pages from a board book, separated and showing damage before repair.

Like many children’s books, it wore its history openly. Torn corners, worn edges, and countless signs of handling made it clear that this wasn’t a book that spent its life sitting on a shelf.

Children’s books are often some of the hardest working books in a home. They get carried around, read over and over again, and loved with an enthusiasm that doesn’t always agree with paper and board. This little book had certainly earned its wear.

After treatment, it was ready for many more readings—and perhaps a few more encounters with the big bad wolf.

Open book with illustrations of four pigs in different outfits on a textured white surface. A board book after repair, standing with pages open.

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January 22, 2026

This project came together slowly, through a handful of conversations stretched out over time. Questions were asked, some answers changed, and little by little, the work found its direction. What eventually took shape were two pieces—a rebound Hawaiian language dictionary and a companion journal—created as holiday gifts for a client’s family member and his wife.

A wood and leather bound book on a speckled surface Custom Aloha Journal with leather spine and forest green book cloth coverd boards. There is a native Hawaiian style design on the cover in the upper right corner

The materials carried most of the weight. What started off as a simple, everyday book turned into something else entirely once the wood, leather, and scale were chosen with care. These decisions gave it a certain presence—something that invited touch, use, and return. The journal followed gently alongside, shaped by the same kinds of choices. Not a matching set, but connected—just enough to feel related.

Hawaiian Language dictionary that has been bound in monkeypod wood and alum tawed pigskin leather. The book is opened to show both the front and rear wood covers, sitting on a bamboo table with forest greenery in the background A custom Aloha Journal with a brown leather spine and forest green covers sits on a bamboo surface, opened to show the front and rear of the book. The front cover has a native pattern of blue with white.

Custom work tends to live in that space between what’s planned and what’s discovered along the way. When the conversation stays open and there’s room for things to shift, the final piece usually reflects more than just the work of one person. It begins to carry something shared.

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October 17, 2025

Not everything on the workbench has to be big to make an impression. This time, we took the parts of old aloha shirts that most people ignore — the labels — and gave them a new gig as miniature books (and yes, they’re small enough to hang on a Christmas tree). Proof that even the smallest scraps can have a second act — and a bit of style while they’re at it.

Two miniature book blocks clamped and ready for covers at Kuro’s Workshop in Hawai‘i.

Miniature handmade books crafted from vintage aloha shirt labels at Kuro’s Workshop in Hawai‘i.

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September 15, 2025

Busy Hands, Busy Summer

This summer, our workbench has seen fewer solitary projects and more… people. Workshops have been keeping us busy with tables full of focused hands and new bookbinders in the making.

Every class ends the same way we like best: proud makers holding up their handmade books for a group photo (smiles mandatory, even from the shy ones).

If you haven’t joined us yet, you’ve missed some good company — but don’t worry, the workbench still has a spot waiting for you.

Instructor leading a bookbinding class in Honolulu, demostrating techniques while students observe and work at the table with paper, tools, and materials

Participants in a Honolulu bookbinding workshop holding up their newly crafted handmade books. The group stands around a worktable filled with tools and materials used in the class

Colorful handmade books created by students furing a Honolulu bookbinding workshop. Covers feature decorative papers, patterns, and unique designs, showcasing beginner bookbinding results

Group of workshop participants in Honolulu proudly displaying their handmade pamphlet-style books, created during a bookbinding class.

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August 15, 2025

A Journal in Need of Breathing Room

Every so often, a project lands on my side of the bench that makes me tilt my head and think, “Well, that’s new.”

Right now, I’m working on a journal whose spine has gone completely concave after years of very enthusiastic use. It’s so full it’s practically holding its breath.

My plan: I’ve taken the sewing apart and will be adding a concertina backing. Think of it as a clever little structure that gives the journal room to breathe — the bookbinding equivalent of a comfy pair of stretch pants.

It’s one of those projects that reminds me how even the most traditional crafts still bump into very modern problems. And I’m glad to help give this journal a new lease on life…spine first.

Close-up of a journal with a concave spine caused by years of heavy use, awaiting book conservation repair. Conservation process showing a journal’s spine after the sewing has been carefully removed to prepare for repair In-progress book conservation repair with a concertina (accordion) backing to be applied to give the journal more flexibility.

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July 21, 2025

Something Worn, Something Kept

We were lucky to spend time with a custom handmade journal project that felt especially meaningful. The materials — repurposed aloha shirts — came with a story already sewn in. We just helped shape them into something new.

These covers were made from fabric once worn by someone deeply loved. A quiet tribute, now turned keepsake. We won’t say more than that (some stories aren’t ours to tell), but the process of working with these patterns — feeling their weight, watching them align — was beautiful.

Sometimes it’s not about transforming something. It’s about honoring it. Listening. Letting it become….

Hands holding a piece of blue aloha shirt fabric while aligning it on a book cover to create a custom journal cover. The shirt fabric features palm trees and island scenes. A hand using a bone folder to smooth Christmas-themed aloha fabric onto a book cover during the handmade bookbinding process. Completed handmade journal with a cover made from aloha shirt fabric featuring a fisherman, fish, and palm trees in a tropical design.

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July 7, 2025

The Stitch That Starts the Story

There’s a moment in every project that I quietly look forward to: sewing the text block.

It’s repetitive, a little meditative, and just fiddly enough to keep my full attention. The paper is already trimmed and folded, the cover materials waiting in the wings — but this part, right here, is when the book finally starts to become itself.

Can’t show you much of this project — it’s a confidential commission — but I can say: This one feels really good in the hands.

Hand holding a needle with thread against a neutral background

Close-up of a hand pulling white thread through a punched hole in a folded paper signature during the hand-sewing stage of traditional bookbinding. The stitch is being tightened along the spine of a custom handmade journal.

Close-up of a curved bookbinding needle sewing through a folded section of lined paper during the hand-stitching process of a custom journal. White thread loops through the paper signature, showing a detailed step in traditional bookbinding.

Hand-sewn book text block resting on a wooden workbench, showing exposed binding stitches and stacked paper signatures before the cover is added.

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June 17, 2025

Restoring a Family Treasure

Every book tells a story, and every restoration is a chance to continue that. Recently, we received a book with a worn cover and pages that showed their age. The cover couldn't be saved, but the textblock was in great shape—proof of how well it had been cared for over time.

A detailed close-up of a book restoration process, showing the careful repair of an old book. The image highlights the careful handling of fragile pages, as a technician gently works to restore the vintage text. This repair ensures the book’s longevity while preserving its original charm and historical significance. A detailed close-up of a book conservator carefully working on a removing a textblock from the book cover. The conservator is using a specialized tool to do this. The image demonstrates the fine precision required in book preservation, ensuring that each page receives the proper care while maintaining its historical value.

Restoring this book isn't just about fixing the obvious. It's about making sure it’s still ready to be enjoyed for many years to come, while staying true to its original character. Whether it’s a book that holds history, memories, or simply the joy of reading, we make sure that it’s restored with care and skill.

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June 1, 2025

Workshop Prep: Pamphlet-Style (June 8, 2025)

We’ve been cutting paper and counting needles — which can only mean one thing: a workshop is coming.

This Sunday, we’ll be teaching an intro to bookbinding: Pamphlet Binding. It’s one of our favorite ways to welcome new hands to bookmaking — simple, satisfying, and sneakily elegant.

The best part? You walk away with a stitched-up journal that you made with your own two hands (and possibly a new appreciation for linen thread).

We’ve packed tools, prepped kits, and triple counted text pages. It’s a bit of beautiful chaos over here, but the good kind — the kind with linen thread tangles and teasing needles rolling across the workbench.