All items by LizzieMade Hand Bound Books

Beautiful hand bound books, made from gorgeous materials, using traditional techniques.

I'm Liz Gillum and I make lovely books of all kinds.

I have been binding books for about eight years and I totally love it. I started after a fall left me stuck at home for three months, unable to do many of the things we all take for granted. A friend lent me a book about bookbinding and it started there.

I've always loved crafts connected with paper and fabric, and have a bit of a passion for books and stationery - so bookbinding has been the absolute ideal craft for me to discover. I have a small studio and have gradually acquired a variety of "proper" bookbinding equipment. I have also attended training, to improve my skills and learn new techniques.

I love paper and fabrics that are colourful and interesting in texture and design, so my books feature these themes. I create books of all kinds, in lots of different styles, but one of my favourite things is to work on those special custom made books, in collaboration with my customers. It's amazing to start out with a simple request - "Can you make me a wedding guest book?", then work with the customer to choose a style, colour scheme and the materials, creating their ideal book and (hopefully) making them happy. To get a "wow!" reaction from a customer when their book arrives in the post, makes my day.

I work mainly by myself, but I've joined a bookbinding group, who meet in term-time at a local craft school. We are officially a "bookbinding and restoration course", but many of us have quite a bit of experience, so we each work on our own projects, with support and advice from the tutor, who is a professionally trained and very experienced binder. We share ideas and admire one another's work - and of course, it is lovely to have the company of people who share enthusiasm and excitement for our craft.

I feel so lucky to have this as my job. I'm constantly working on new ideas and acquiring new skills and I give my work great care and attention to detail.

Sometimes I teach a short bookbinding course to others - and that is very enjoyable - but nothing beats the satisfaction of hearing from a delighted customer, to whom I have sent a special book, that took many hours of work.

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