Stitched sketchbooks - Hilary Kington - I sew my loose sketches into

I have lots of sketches on loose bits of paper. Instead of keeping them hidden in folders or scattered around my studio I sew them into stitched sketchbooks. Not only do they look good displayed this way but I can organise the sketches into dates and subjects.

I have hundreds of loose sketches so this is a great way of displaying them.

Woodcut prints make great covers for these stitched sketchbooks

I fold paper in concertina fashion to form the spine of the sketchbook

The spines are sewn by machine and then the sketches are sewn in by hand — The sketches are hand sewn into the spines which have been machine stitched.

A roe deer pencil sketch from a March sketchbook

The sketches are from my local salt marshes. You can see many of these in my published salt marsh sketch books. Salt marshes are important and unique habitats so this is my way of telling people a little about them.