You make it, or I make it.
either way, it's yours.
Bookbinding classes and custom books in Bozeman, MT.
01 · An open book
Come make a book with me
This is mine, made alongside the class.
Drag the handle to compare.
Next Class
Lonesome Dove
July 31 | 5:00pm | 21+ | Last Best Place Brewing Co.
Rebind Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove into a custom hardcover — tan suede, real cowhide, hot iron brand — and drink a beer while you do it.
Classes I Teach
Can't make that date?
Rebinding | Mending | Journals | Photo Albums | Other
Any of these can be booked as a private class, for one person or up to 10. Tell me which one and roughly when.
bookbinding kits
Not even in the state?
Try a Novel Rebinding Kit!
Learn how to DIY-it with a bookbinding kit. It includes all materials, tools, and instructions you need to get started. Want to do it again? Just order a refill (unless you want another set of tools!)
02 · Heirloom care
Bring me the one you can't part with
Nobody should have to email a stranger and wait three days to find out whether they can afford to keep something they love.
Mending
$45/hour, one-hour minimum
A loose hinge, torn pages, a spine that's finally given up. I fix it so it still looks like your book, just one that closes properly again. Most jobs run one to three hours.
Restoration & rebind
From $150, then $60/hour*
Falling-apart favourites, family bibles, the cookbook that's been held shut with a rubber band since 2003. New boards, new binding, same book, and the same butter stain I'm not going to ask about.
Deposits, timelines and the lifetime warranty, all spelled out →
*Materials quoted separately. You get the whole number before I start.
03 · led by you
Go ahead, judge it by the cover
The paperback you've read to pieces. A series you want matching on the shelf. A gift that should look like it cost something. A book with cover art so bad you want to be able to read it in public. Pick the cloth, the endpapers, the titling, or tell me the feeling and I'll design it. Built for the shelf or the bottom of your bag, whichever it's headed for.
Also where print & bind lives: your manuscript, your fanfic, your thesis, a run of poems for people you like — printed and bound into a real hardcover.
Labor is $60/hour, materials quoted separately, and you get the whole number before I start. Minimum order amount is $150.
04 · In person
Where to find me next
Can't make it? A few are in the shop.
Named for the Godfather of Montana Fly Fishing.
Walen Francis "Bud" Lilly Jr. spent six decades turning a pastime into a movement. He founded Montana's first Trout Unlimited chapter, championed catch-and-release before it was cool, and ran a legendary West Yellowstone shop where the real trophies weren't mounted on walls — they were still swimming. His "silver button clubs" rewarded conservation, not body counts.
This log is built on that same philosophy. Track your outings, your catches, and your conditions — but more than that, track your relationship with the water. Because Bud knew the point was never just the fish.
The Cover: Hand-stitched bison leather, laser-engraved with vintage illustrations. Two options:
The Break — a trout breaking the surface, framed by pines and river landscape
Knee Deep — a vintage angler wading in, net in hand, mid-cast
Inside:
Structured log spreads: date & time, location waypoint, water conditions (level, clarity, temp), weather, wind, barometric pressure, moon phase, aquatic vegetation, bait/fly/forage base, spawn timing, and catch notes
Species tracking grid: target species, fly selection, species caught, and catch notes
Dot grid notes section on every spread
Interior pocket with fillable emergency contact card
Also Included: JesterCat golf pencil, brass page clip, 120 waterproof Rite in the Rain® pages, detachable wool fly holder
Made to Order: Each Bud Lilly is made to order — please allow 1–2 weeks processing time before shipment.
Transform your well-loved paperbacks into hardcover masterpieces with our rebinding kits - the perfect way to try bookbinding without the intimidation or investment!
Not sure if bookbinding is your thing? These kits are designed as an afternoon project so you can test the waters before diving into fancy bone folders and archival supplies. (Let's be real - we all judge books by their covers, so why not make yours gorgeous?)
Kits available in Basic, Deluxe, and Premium editions.
BASIC KIT - Your starter set for a beginner-friendly binding experience:
Step-by-step instructions
All essential tools (including plastic bone folder - great for learning!)
Cover materials (1mm bookboard - may arrive slightly warped but straightens perfectly during binding!)
Perfect for: Testing out bookbinding to see if you love it
DELUXE KIT - Everything in Basic, plus:
Upgraded 2mm bookboard for extra sturdiness
More complex cover art options
Custom cut vinyl designs (use mine or send me your own design!)
Perfect for: Getting a little fancier with your first project
PREMIUM KIT - Everything in Basic + Deluxe, PLUS:
Bone folder upgrade - real bone folder included for smoother scoring
Fully custom cover art design service
I'll purchase the paperback for you
Premium decorative endpapers (marbled, patterned, photos, etc.) - I'll reach out to match your book's vibe
Rush processing (1 week vs. 2 weeks)
NOTE: No fanart endpapers - public domain artwork only
Perfect for: Going all-in on your first binding or gifting someone an amazing experience
REFILL KIT - $[price] Already hooked and want to bind another book? Includes all materials for basic cover + textblock (1mm bookboard), plus instructions.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED AT HOME:
Ruler
Iron or heat press (for applying HTV)
PROCESSING TIME: Up to 2 weeks for Basic/Deluxe/Refill (1 week for Premium) to allow for material ordering
Ready to clear a spot on your bookshelf for something YOU created? Let's do this! ✨
In Bradbury's world, books are burned — but they're also alive. This edition is built around that contradiction. Every element was chosen deliberately, drawn directly from the text, to make this not just a book you read, but one you experience.
The Details & Their Intent:
Temperature-sensitive title, author signature, spine text, and salamander frame — at rest, this book is nearly blank. Stark black cloth, almost nothing visible. Touch it, hold it, warm it — and the text appears. Books only exist when someone engages with them.
Real embedded matches + marbled paper windows — swirling red, orange, and gold like flames caught mid-motion. Fire destroys, but it also illuminates.
Functional match strike strip on the spine
Shattered mirror inlay on the back, framed by the salamander — the firemen's symbol, surrounding your own reflection.
Marbled endpapers by Jemma Lewis — hand-marbled in red, orange, black, and gold.
Black cloth binding
Signed, numbered, and one of six. Made to order — please allow 1-2 weeks processing time. Includes certificate of authenticity, care card, and JesterCat business card.
Reading copy rebind. Made to be held.✨
05 · WHO’S DOING THE WORK
Hi, I'm Jess. Ten years in libraries, three in the bindery.
I spent seven years working in libraries before I ever picked up a bone folder, which is a long time watching people be quietly attached to specific books. Three years ago I started binding them myself. Everything on this site was made by me, one at a time, in a small Bozeman studio full of paper and thread, usually with a coffee going cold somewhere nearby.
Libraries are where I learned the part that matters most: you help whoever walks in, and you don't make them feel stupid for asking. Bookbinding spent a few hundred years going the other way, with guilds and apprenticeships and people who won't tell you what glue they use. I'd rather just tell you what glue I use. That's why the prices are published, the classes assume nothing, and no question you send me is too basic. Truly. Ask me the dumb one.
The cat in the logo is Piero. He is not real, he does not help, and he is on everything anyway.
Made by hand. Made to be yours.
06 · Before you ask
The things people actually ask me
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Yes, and most people who ask this end up with the tidiest book in the room. Nobody walks in knowing how. I demo every step, then you do it, and I'm right there if something goes sideways.
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Just yourself. Every tool and material is on the table when you sit down, and you go home with the book you made. Wear something you don't mind getting glue on.
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Every class has three prices. Pick the one that fits your year, and don't tell me which — I genuinely don't want to know. The top price is what keeps the bottom one there.
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Usually, yes. Loose pages, a spine that's given up, boards held on with tape, that's ordinary work. Send me a photo and I'll tell you honestly what it needs and what it'll cost, even if the answer is that it’s beyond my capabilities.
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Email me a photo first, always — it saves you a trip. If we're going ahead, hand it to me at a market or arrange a drop-off in Bozeman. Mailing works too; I'll walk you through packing it so it survives the trip.
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Mending is usually a week or two. A custom rebind is six to ten weeks depending on complexity, because glue and paste set on their own schedule and rushing it shows. You'll get a real date before you say yes, not a vague someday.
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No book is too far gone to at least ask about. Asking is free, and I'd rather tell you it's beyond my capabilities than have you never find out. I will always offer recommendations for a next step.
a letter from the bindery