We've designed the Little books of inspiration workshop to put you back in touch with your inner child and inspire you to a more creative life.

Included are many of our favourite techniques and creative warm-ups; they're easy to pick up and put down, fit into small spaces and short chunks of time...and best of all - they're fun and we know that they're definitely worth repeating, often.  

Come and join us: be inspired!

Watch Intro Video

Video

What you will be doing in this workshop

  • 1

    Welcome

  • 2

    Creative warm-up 1: Drawing without looking

    • Introduction

    • Tool kit

    • Drawing 1

    • Before you start...

    • Drawing 2

    • Travelling book

    • Travelling book instructions
  • 3

    Creative warm-up 2: Printing

    • Introduction

    • Tool kit

    • Printing 1: viewing window

    • Printable viewing window

    • Printing 2: quick print foam stamp

    • Printing 3: funky foam stamp

    • Printing 4: printing with your stamps

    • Printing 5: your next little book
  • 4

    Creative warm-up 3: Finding colour

    • Introduction

    • Tool kit

    • Colour 1: Finding colour 1

    • Concertina pocket book

    • Concertina pocket book instructions

    • Colour 2: Finding colour 2

    • Colour 3: Adding colour

    • Colour 4: Mixing colour
  • 5

    Creative warm-up 4: Making marks

    • Introduction

    • Tool kit

    • Making marks
  • 6

    Bringing it all together

    • Introduction & tool kit

    • Bringing everything together

    • Portrait concertina book instructions
  • 7

    One-page sketchbooks

    • Introduction and tool kit

    • Landscape concertina book

    • Landscape concertina book instructions

    • Flick-flack book

    • Flick-flack book instructions

    • Concertina pocket book

    • Concertina pocket book instructions

    • Barn door book

    • Barn door book instructions

    • Travelling book

    • Travelling book instructions

    • Bonus: Australian piano hinge book

    • Australian piano hinge book instructions

    • Australian piano hinge book measurements
  • 8

    What next?

    • Some other ideas to try

  • 9

    An extra sweet treat!

    • Pearl's gingerbread

How this workshop works

We take you step by step through each lesson showing you what materials you'll need, how to select the colours and images to use and how to bring them all together to create a little book full of inspiration - just as if you were here in the studio with us! This is a great course whether you are just starting out or are beginning to create your own designs. Come and join us: be inspired!

  • work at your own pace, so you have time to practise and explore your own creativity

  • choose to source your own materials or when you enrol buy an InStitches: at Home workshop kit

  • pre-recorded videos that you can watch as often as you like

  • clear & easy course navigation with auto resume exactly where you left off, even mid video, on any device - mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop

  • get help from us and chat to other students in a private discussion group

we've even added some cherries on top of the cake

because we're sure you'll love mixing colour and making little books, just like us!

  • Introduction to mixing colour

    If you’re not confident about mixing colours then in the mixing colour video Terry shows you how to get off to a good start with a limited range of supplies.

  • One-page sketchbooks

    We love making little books with our spare paper and are always excited when we find a new book form to try out. We particularly like one-sheet books for their simplicity and ingenuity – they are so quick and satisfying to make. So we're sharing several of them for you to make with the extra decorated sheets you made during the workshop.

  • Little book of techniques

    As a bonus there’s a nifty way to connect all your travelling books together into one volume, known as an Australian Piano Hinge binding.

How much does this workshop cost?

When you buy the Little books of inspiration workshop it's yours for a year, to view as many times as you want!

Why not add a kit?...

...then you'll be all ready to start creating!

Head over to the InStitches: Creative shop where you will find a choice of two kits, plus a cutting kit to buy. Please note: the button link will open the InStitches: Creative shop site.
buy a workshop kit
kit 1
  • coloured books

FAQ

  • How long will it take to complete the course?

    You work at your own pace, so you can chose to complete it over a couple of days or spread the enjoyment over several weeks, dipping in and out when you have the time.

  • When do I have to sign up?

    You can sign up to this workshop at any time.

  • How much does this course cost?

    This online workshop costs £250 and you get to keep it for one year, so you can visit it as many times as you like!

  • What equipment and materials will I need?

    We give you a comprehensive kit list before you join, and you can decide either to use your own materials or buy a kit from the InStitches: Creative shop when you enrol for the workshop.

  • Can I share my workshop with a friend?

    No. It takes many hours and a lot of work to create an InStitches: at Home workshop so we ask you to respect that. By all means work along with a friend, but make sure you both buy a workshop.

  • What about if I change my mind, can I have a refund?

    If you decide this course isn't for you please email us, and we'll do our best to help.

Let us introduce ourselves!

Hazel and Terry

We are passionate stitchers and like nothing more than dyeing and printing our own fabrics and threads to use in our quilts. We’ve been running textile courses for nearly 20 years and set up InStitches in 2013 so that we can share our passion and inspire as many people as possible to get stitching and creating. We're inspired by many things, from traditional Welsh wholecloth designs, to the British coastline and the sea. From afternoon tea (with cake - of course!) to Hazel's allotment. We both use photography and sketchbooks (both making and using) and are avid collectors of things such as rusty bits of metal from the beach and farmyard. Marks and lines, colour and the texture of dense stitching creates and defines both our work.