

We love trees and we love our city!
Join us to celebrate Arbor Day by making a unique commemorative book. Designed by our resident book and paper lover, Deb Eck, these books will feature tree cookies taken from the Third Street oak trees and some decorative papers made by Deb in her studio from plants collected on Jamestown’s Riverwalk.
Learn how to make a traditional, elegant Coptic sewn binding similar to ones used in the Copt Monasteries of Ethiopia around the 4th century while creating a special tribute to the glorious cathedral oaks.
The class is suitable for complete beginners with no previous binding experience and will cover the basics of creating a book, including finding paper grain, folding papers accurately, selecting appropriate threads, marking and punching the holes for sewing, and assembling the book.
This is a VERY limited seating class.
Deb will donate $10 per student to Jamestown’s Urban Forestry Fund in honor of the trees.

Pearl City Clay House is excited to announce a series of FREE community workshops at the Prendergast Library, funded by the Murray L. Bob Educational Initiative.
The first of these workshops, to create a hand-bound blank journal, will take place over two evenings in March – March 8 and March 22. In order to complete the project you must be available both nights.
Our resident book and paper artist, Deb Eck, will guide participants as they learn a long stitch binding. Longstitch is a versatile and attractive method of sewing multiple signature books that open easily and can be adapted in a variety of ways. This traditional style of binding originated in Germany, and was in use between 1375 and 1500. We will use some contemporary recycled materials, including a brown paper lunch bag, to replicate this glue- free binding.
The workshop will cover basic bookbinding terminology and techniques, and students will make the structure along with the instructor. Students will fold, mark up and punch signatures, construct a paper case from a brown lunch bag, and sew the long stitch structure. Students will gain the skills to continue making books on their own at home with minimal equipment.
While the events are free, space is limited, and you must register by calling 716-484-7135, ext. 226 or by emailing programs@prendergastlibrary.org.

Pearl City Clay House is excited to announce a series of FREE community workshops at the Prendergast Library, funded by the Murray L. Bob Educational Initiative.
The first of these workshops, to create a hand-bound blank journal, will take place over two evenings in March – March 8 and March 22. In order to complete the project you must be available both nights.
Our resident book and paper artist, Deb Eck, will guide participants as they learn a long stitch binding. Longstitch is a versatile and attractive method of sewing multiple signature books that open easily and can be adapted in a variety of ways. This traditional style of binding originated in Germany, and was in use between 1375 and 1500. We will use some contemporary recycled materials, including a brown paper lunch bag, to replicate this glue- free binding.
The workshop will cover basic bookbinding terminology and techniques, and students will make the structure along with the instructor. Students will fold, mark up and punch signatures, construct a paper case from a brown lunch bag, and sew the long stitch structure. Students will gain the skills to continue making books on their own at home with minimal equipment.
While the events are free, space is limited, and you must register by calling 716-484-7135, ext. 226 or by emailing programs@prendergastlibrary.org.

Join our resident paper artist, Deb, for this fun up-cycling project to create a vintage-inspired desk organizer – the ideal place to stash all those important notes and pieces of paper that wind up on your desk! Or use it to file business cards, or keep track of upcoming birthdays, or – we are sure you can think of many ways to use it!!
Students will need to source the following supplies:
- an old hardback book
- a sheets of decorative card stock
- ephemera – old photos, images from books and magazines, scraps of lace, buttons, scraps of decorative paper, wallpaper etc.
- scissors, glue (PVA, glue dots, glue stick)
This is a very affordable workshop at only $10 and space is limited – you can reserve your place by buying your ticket HERE.

Looking for an affordable new way to unwind?
Join me, Deb Eck, program director and resident teaching artist, as I gently guide you through the relaxing art of blackout meditation. What is that? It’s an art form I invented many decades ago, a mash up of blackout poetry, doodling and occasionally some drawing & coloring.
This session will cover the how-to-get-started basics, along with a few different techniques you can use to take your blackouts to the next level. Absolutely NO prior art experience needed!
Previous Blackout students are always welcome to join us!
BOOK NOW!
Before the class you will need to assemble a few simple supplies:
A pencil and eraser,
a book you are willing to use to write on/in,
a sharpie or two (I use an ultra fine point and a regular fat sharpie most of the time)
In addition its nice to have – but not essential –
a white gel pen – Posca pens, uniball or jellyroll pens are all great choices
some colored pencils and/or markers
a small set of alphabet stamps & an ink pad
Stencils that fit the size of your book (or smaller)

Join us outdoors at Audubon and learn how to make paper from plants. We will be working with fibers you can harvest from your garden, along with fibers from invasive species, paired with more traditional paper making fibers like abaca and cotton to make sheets of handmade paper.
We will start the afternoon with a walk to identify and collect suitable plant materials, then we will process the fibers and make lots of paper. We will press and stack our sheets ready for drying. Students will have the option to take their paper home damp and dry it themselves, or pick up their dry sheets at a later date.
Students should come suitably dressed and prepared to walk around the property, and to process the fibers, which can be both hard work, and get a little messy. Making sheets of paper can be wet work, you may want to bring rain boots or water shoes or other foot wear that can get wet, and a plastic apron.
This class is suitable for beginners.
The ticket price of $50 includes all the use of all tools, materials, and tuition, which will be split evenly between to benefit both Pearl City Clay House and Audubon Community Nature Center.
Class size is very limited. Book your tickets here.

Join our resident paper and book artist, Deb Eck, and learn how to turn an old hardback book into a fun and functional journal. In class Deb will cover how to reinforce and decorate your up-cycled cover, how to measure for new pages, and make sure the grain is correct so they lay flat and are nice to use. We’ll talk about other inclusions, and wrap it all up with a demonstration of three styles of sewing – pamphlet, Coptic and French link stitch – that can be used to put your unique journal together.
A full supply list will be sent upon registration.
Space is very limited so BOOK NOW!

Some of you asked for a daytime session – so here it is!
Join me, Deb Eck, program director and resident teaching artist, as I gently guide you through the relaxing art of blackout meditation. What is that? It’s an art form I invented many decades ago, a mash up of blackout poetry, doodling and occasionally some drawing & coloring.
This session will cover the how-to-get-started basics, along with a few different techniques you can use to take your blackouts to the next level. Absolutely NO prior art experience needed!
Previous Blackout students are always welcome to join us!
BOOK NOW!
Before the class you will need to assemble a few simple supplies:
A pencil and eraser,
a book you are willing to use to write on/in,
a sharpie or two (I use an ultra fine point and a regular fat sharpie most of the time)
In addition its nice to have – but not essential –
a white gel pen – Posca pens, uniball or jellyroll pens are all great choices
some colored pencils and/or markers
a small set of alphabet stamps & an ink pad
Stencils that fit the size of your book (or smaller)