Hibrkraft Experience · Bogor
Four hours, and you go home with a book you sewed yourself.
Choose the leather, the paper and the thread. Learn to sew it in our workshop in Bogor, then take it home the same day. No experience needed.
Ask about datesSee the packages
From Rp 450.000 per person · by appointment
The result
This is what you take home
One leather journal, in your own size and colour, sewn with your own hands, finished the same day.
Not a journal we made for you. We lay out the leather, the paper, the thread and the tools. You do the folding, the punching, the pulling through, and the fitting of the cover.
How a session runs
240 minutes, from loose sheets to a book
- 00:00Arriving and choosingCome into the workshop, handle several kinds of leather until you can feel the difference, then settle the thread colour, the paper and the size.
- 00:30Cutting and foldingThe paper is folded into signatures and stacked into a text block. This is where the size of the book is actually decided.
- 01:30SewingThe longest part, and rightly so. Punch the holes, pull the thread through until the stitching sits tight. Too loose and the book will shift later; too tight and the paper draws in.
- 03:30Fitting the coverThe leather cover meets the text block. The part that most often makes people hold their breath, because the stitching can no longer be redone without taking it apart.
- 04:00Stamp the initials, and goYour initials are stamped into the cover. The book goes home with you the same day — there is nothing to collect next week.
Packages
Two ways to take part
Self-guided
Rp 450.000per person
For those who want to find their own way through it. You get an orientation and the basic instructions first. Once you have the sequence, you work on the book at your own pace.
- Full access to the workshop for 4 hours
- All the basic materials — leather and paper
- Use of all the professional tools
- An orientation and the basic instructions at the start
- One journal you made yourself, taken home
Guided
Rp 750.000per person
For those who want to learn directly from the maker. From choosing the material to the last stitch, there is someone beside you to ask every time your hands run into trouble.
- Everything in the Self-guided package
- Someone alongside you throughout the session, not only at the start
- An explanation of the technique behind every step
- Correction on the spot when the stitching starts to wander
- Drinks and light refreshments
- A Hibrkraft paper bag
Where they differ
What each one includes
| Self-guided | Guided | |
|---|---|---|
| A 4-hour session in the workshop | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leather, paper, thread | ✓ | ✓ |
| Professional tools | ✓ | ✓ |
| Orientation and basic instructions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accompanied throughout | — | ✓ |
| Technique explained at each step | — | ✓ |
| Correction on the spot while you work | — | ✓ |
| Drinks and light refreshments | — | ✓ |
| A Hibrkraft paper bag | — | ✓ |
| The journal goes home with you | ✓ | ✓ |
Self-guided does not mean left alone. You still get an orientation and the basic instructions at the start, and this workshop is not large — if you get stuck, there is someone to ask. The difference is that the Guided package has someone with you from start to finish.
What leaves with you besides the book
After four hours, you know how to make another
There is one book. But what you learn at that bench can be used again, with materials of your own.
- How a text block is built up from folded signatures
- How to fold a signature so that the grain runs the right way
- How the sewing structure holds the pages in place
- Why thread tension decides the shape of the spine
- How to fit a cover so that the book will open flat
- How to care for your journal and replace its contents later
Who guides it
You make it. We keep your hands from going the wrong way.
Hibrkraft was founded by Ibrahim Anwar, who bound his first book in this workshop in 2011 and still leads the sessions himself.
In a guided session he does not take the work off you. He shows you how, corrects where needed, then lets you finish the book yourself — because the point of the session is not to watch an expert work.
The point is that you can say: I made this.
Previous sessions
Hands at work
Previous sessions
The book takes shape
Erick Thohir took part in one of the sessions — the two photographs above were taken during the fitting of the cover and afterwards. We show them exactly as they are: he came and he did the work. There is no endorsement, no collaboration, and no statement of his about Hibrkraft quoted here.
Previous sessions
Finished
After the class
The end of the class is not the end of using the journal
The cover and the text block are made that day. What goes inside can change as your life does. If you need ruled paper, dot grid for bullet journalling, manuscript paper, or a year planner — all of it is ready as print-at-home PDFs. Free, with no sign-up, and without trading your email address for anything.
If you are in Bogor
Made in Bogor, carried home anywhere
You come to a workshop in Bogor. A few hours later you walk out with a journal you sewed yourself, in that room.
Not an object that happens to have been bought in Indonesia. It has a place, a date, and your own hands in it — and that is not available on any souvenir shelf.
Sessions can be led in English if that suits you better.
Before you come
What to know first
Location
The Hibrkraft workshop, Bogor, West Java. By appointment only — it is a place of work, not a shop.
Duration
About 4 hours, one session, finished the same day.
Language
Indonesian or English.
Age
12 and over. Younger is fine, accompanied by a parent.
Group size
There is no fixed number; we set it per session so that everyone genuinely gets the time to work on their book.
Clothing
Something comfortable that you do not mind getting a little dirty. Glue and leather dust are part of the process.
Booking
A booking fee of Rp 200.000 holds the date, and is deducted from the total.
What to bring
Just yourself. If you have a sketch or a design you like, bring it — we will talk about how to make it real.
Questions
The questions we are asked most
- I have never sewn anything at all. Can I still do this?
- You can, and that is the most common case. The session is designed for hands that have never held a binding needle. No part of it assumes you already know.
- What if my stitching turns out badly?
- Stitching that has wandered can be unpicked and redone as long as the cover is not yet on — which is why sewing sits in the middle of the session rather than at the end. On the Guided package a slip is usually caught before it becomes a problem. And a first book that is slightly uneven is still a book you made yourself.
- Do I really make it myself?
- Yes. We provide the materials, the tools and the order of work. The folding, the punching, the pulling through and the fitting of the cover are yours. We do not quietly finish your book for you out the back.
- What exactly is the difference between Self-guided and Guided?
- Both include the 4-hour session, the materials, the tools and the basic orientation. Guided adds someone with you throughout, the technique explained at each step, correction on the spot, drinks, and a paper bag. Self-guided is not a class without help — you still get the orientation first.
- Can two or three of us come together?
- You can. Many people come in pairs and work on their own books at the same bench.
- Can the session be in English?
- It can. Say so when you book the date.
- Can children take part?
- They can. We suggest 12 and over so that they can follow the whole process. Younger children must be accompanied by a parent.
- Can I bring my own design?
- Very much so. Bring a sketch or an example you like, and we will talk about how to make it real.
- Can you do this for an office team?
- We can, but the requirements differ — group size, scheduling, invoicing and documentation. See the programmes for companies.
Track Record
- 15 Years of Work
- 100,000+ Products Made
- 4.9 Google Rating · 85 reviews
- 4 Countries UAE · MY · CA · DE
- 2,000 pcs Capacity / Month
- Trusted by
- Pertamina · POLRI · PPLi · Unilever
- Covered by
- TVRI · Trans7 · MNC Home Living · iNews Radio
- In print
- Tabloid Nova · Bogor Today · Tren Bogor
- Awards
- UDUNAN 2020 Winner · Ekraf Jabar · Mitra Jabar
For vendor applications, tenders and corporate partnerships.
Arrive empty-handed. Leave with something you made yourself.
Sessions are by appointment only, because we keep the numbers down so that everyone genuinely gets the time to work on their book. Tell us the date you want; the Rp 200.000 booking fee is deducted from the total.
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