Book Description
A Dyer's Garden touches on the history and nature of dye plants and walks you through a garden season from design to planting to harvesting for the dyepot.
Customer Reviews:
Great for anyone new to dyeing!.......2007-07-03
This was my first introduction to the world of dyeing with plants. The photography is terrific and gives you a good idea of what you'll get from each plant. Mordants are discussed, and the plants that are included are covered thoroughly for both cultivation and dye recipes. My only regret? That I can't find the seeds for the Japanese Indigo! I recommended this book to several people when we attended our local fiber festival.
Beautiful, well-organized guide to dye plants.......2007-04-10
This book focuses mainly on the home growing and use of dye plants. There is even a section devoted to the layout of the home dye garden. General mordanting and dye bath info is given at the beginning of the book. In the "Portfolio of Dye Plants" which follows, two pages are devoted to each dye plant. For each plant, 4-10 color photos illustrate the results obtained with various mordants on different fibers. The instructions for using different plants are not in traditional recipe form. Instead, Buchanan indicates how much plant material is generally required for a given amount of fiber ("flowers from 8 plants," etc). This fits in with Buchanan's emphasis on diversity of color over reproducibility, but it could be troublesome for users of purchased dyestuffs. In short, this book is nice to look at, easy to use, and appears to contain highly useful information for dyer/gardeners.
gave as a gift.......2006-03-14
the recipient was very happy, & is busy putting in beds of plants to do home dyeing of medieval faire clothing.
Woad-you like to grow your own dye plants? Read on.......2006-01-02
For those doing creative re-enactment (SCA, Renn faires), this is an essential reference for growing and using natural dye plants. The book includes plants to grow, plants NOT to grow (invasive species), and plants that pay off with dye materials in one season. The margins of the book are organized by color family, and there are lovely schematics on how to organize a dye-plant garden for production or for high-intensity cultivation with raised rows--or just a pretty border. There are some basics of plant dyeing, information on mordants (salts that change color or cause it to stick to fiber.) A small but potent book, probably a must for anyone doing authentic reproduction of antique fibers or for anyone who likes the idea of home-dyed fiber but with naturally-obtained materials. Great for home schooling. Highly recommended.
Great for re-enactors.......1999-10-27
I particularly recommend this book as a visual source for historical re-enactors.
Too often there are descriptions of what dye-plants were used to color garments, but, no examples of what those colors would look like. This book provides clear, vivid color photos on a whole range of dye-plants grown during pre-medieval, medieval, Colonial, and later times. Additionally, it shows the same dye used on different fibers, sometimes with different mordants (fixers). Fiber samples include linen, wool, silk, and cotton.
I recommend this book to people interested in making clothing from "modern" material...it gives them the best opprotunity possible to try to find close color-matches. Alternately, it provides solid information to dye cloth by hand.
Also, the low price can't be beat!
Customer Reviews:
You'll Pick up this book again and again ..........2007-07-24
This is one of those books which is much more than a how-to for natural dyeing. Trudy van Stralen writes in a conversational style, yet gives succinct information where needed. Especially helpful are the photos of fibers and fabrics of both cellulose and protein origin, and how they are affected by natural dyestuffs. I find myself thumbing through this book again and again, and recommend it heartily. There is a terrific chapter on how to organize a group dye class with a clear section on how to keep records which make sense long after the dye session is over. A must-have book for a natural dye enthusiast.
My reference for natural dyeing!.......2005-09-22
I use this as one of my primary reference books for natural dyeing. Trudy has a nice style providing a good framework for beginners to be successful. The color samples on various fibers are excellent. Her percentage of mordant and dye stuff to "weight of goods" method provides consistant results especially since I bought a digital scale. The photos are gorgeous and the text is clear. Bonus is a detailed chapter on conducting a dyeing workshop.
It now is available *new*.......2004-02-13
This excellent popular book seems to have been out of print for some time now, but the good news is that the original publisher Interweave press sells a new print (with new cover art) at their web site for $29.95.
Read it in one sitting, great book. Lovely color pictures!.......1999-09-21
I ordered it thru a company at 1-800-695-7838. Signed copy, 29.95 and shipping 7 bucks. Arrived in 3 days or so. Read it in one sitting, that is how good it was. Wonderful read. Great tech stuff, outlines on workshop protocol and ideas. I highly, highly recommended it. Took the fear and guesswork out of doing a workshop (either for me or for a group). Thanks!
availability.......1999-04-10
technically out of print, author purchased last few thousand copies...Louet Sales 613-925-4502 is distributing this title
Customer Reviews:
Very Technical & No real recipes for home dyers.......2006-12-01
I have this book and it is good but very technical - and the recipes are very general 4% of dye stuff to fibers dyeing etc, for which you'd need a scale...uses lots of metric calculations as well...it does give you a lot of information on a lot of different dye materials. I wouldn't recommend it for the home dyer.
Great pictures........2006-03-25
Out of all the natural dye books that I've pruchaced, this one has definately been the most helpful and the most used. The color photographs of the dye-plants used makes plant identification simple. Also the color photos of the cloth swatches after dyeing with all combinations of dye-stuff, mordants and modifiers makes a lot of the guess work disappear. This book has been my best purchase yet!
Very Useful, In a general way.......2003-07-17
This is a great book for beginners and old hands looking for a few new ideas to expand their color range. It has a large listing of plant materials and detailed instructions for different dye baths and it is one of the few books I have seen that treats both cellulose and protein dyes. My only dissapointment is in the color swatches, which are really just printed ink bloches on the sides of each page. Photographs would have been a much better inclusion.
Wild Colors from Natural Sources.......2001-09-02
I bought this book in order to learn about using natural dyestuffs. The format makes it easy for the beginner to explore natural materials available around the house and also for materials ordered from a dyers supply. Following her directions, I was able to successfully dye wool fibers using goldenrod, cochineal, logwood and daylilies from my yard. I highly recommend this book for the beginning fiber artist interested in natural dye sources.
Great easy-to-follow dyeing book, very helful for newbies.......2001-05-01
I am new to natural dyeing and found this book to be extremely helpful. I looked at many dyeing books before purchasing this one. Unlike some other books this one gives tons of useful information without getting too technical or overwhelming. Because it is in full-color it also lets you see examples of the colors you can achieve. There are excellent step-by-step instructions accompanied by photos to guide you seamlessly through each process.
The book starts out with an introduction to the history of dyeing. It then discusses, choosing equipment and items to dye. Next, testing the water pH, preparing fibers and fixing colors is covered. Making and using mordants is also covered including timesaving tips on how to combine mordanting and dyeing. Conveniently, two charts help you choose the proper mordant and assist.
Preparing plants for dyeing follows. The processes for hot, cold and all-in-one dyeing are then demonstrated. A chart including all the dye plants shows you which methods will work best for each one. Special techniques for dyeing with indigo, woad and safflower are covered separately. There is also great advice on experimenting with color and a good explanation of how dyes are absorbed into different fibers.
Information on the over 60 dye plants follows. Each one has a picture of the plant, a written description of it and it's color along with information on cultivation, harvesting and the dyeing procedure. A set of color swatches showing color with and without modifiers or mordants is also included. Sometimes even a second set of swatches is shown for different parts of the plant.
If you are new to dyeing and want a through, yet easy-to-follow guide to natural dyeing this is definitely the book to get. It hard to imagine with all this information that even a more advance dyer wouldn't find a few helpful tips.
Book Description
The dyeing of textiles and other materials is a rewarding and delightful way to bring the colors of nature to daily living. In our technological age, dyes from plants offer subtle and diverse hues unavailable from synthetic dyestuffs. They connect practitioners to the environment as well as to the crafts and history of our ancestors. Dyes from native plants offer a special source of satisfaction and beauty. In this fascinating book, the authors have compiled extensive information to bring the techniques, plants, and lore of natural dyeing within every reader's reach. Chapters include discussions of color theory, dye equipment, dye processes, mordants, and easy-to-follow instructions for processing plants and dyeing fabrics. The core of the book is an exhaustive reference to the hundreds of colors that can be obtained from 158 commonly encountered North American plant species. The authors include detailed records of the various plant parts needed to produce different colors, cross-referencing each color to the Munsell color system, an internationally accepted standard for describing color. Finally, the book offers a practical botanical field guide that allows readers to locate and identify each plant in the book. Beautiful color photographs round out the volume.
Customer Reviews:
A definite must-have for the natural dyer!.......2006-02-08
I happened across this book at my local spinning guild in Los Angeles. At first, it looked like the typical how-to book with limited new information, but as I leafed through it, I was immediately hooked by all the plants I DIDN'T know.
This book is definitely going to stay in the "most-used resources" part of my book collection. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in finding out more plants to toss in the dyepot! It's also good for those libraries in the central and eastern parts of the United States.
Which leads me to one of my quibbles with this book: it concentrates on the Eastern and Mid-West portions of the United States, and leaves out many dye plants common to the western states. Artimesia californica (California Sagebrush), all the Quercus species (California oaks) - these are the most notable for my area.
It should also be noted that there are many good dye plants that are NOT native to North America, such as Oxalis pes-caprae (Bermuda buttercup), and Cytisus scoparius (Scotch broom), and these are not listed in this book. It is, of course, the authors' prerogative to focus strictly on natives. However, dyers will need to use other resources to find the non-natives.
I do like that this book includes a description of the fermentation dye process, and the Munsell color notations of the colors given. However, in order to use this as a dye book, I'd like to see the colors and processes listed under each plant instead of in a separate chapter. I'm definitely going to make my own notations in this book -- which should tell you how impressed this librarian is!
Ruth Schooley
Book Description
Features over 135 specific recipes — gathered from historical sources — for cotton, wool, other fabrics. Genuine premodern handicrafts. 12 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A rose by any other name.......2005-06-16
A classic in the field of home hobby dyeing, Natural Dyes provides a historical overview of the field from its early days, information of the basic sort about mordants, fabrics, and dyes, and a series of reliable and effective recipes for dyeing wool with plant materials. As a textile arts demonstrator at a local museum, I always check my facts here, and refer to Androsko before trying something new. This book is valuable as reference and as handbook, and has the added advantage of warning the reader if a particular process is likely to be tricky or troublesome. Definitely worth having on hand!
A good reference book for the dyer.......2000-09-08
This is an excellent book full of information and history of natural dying. The book goes over the history of natural dying and how it came about and was used by the European Colonists in America. There is a short history of dying during B.C. It then goes on to tell of how each colour was introduced and made. This section includes sketches of the plants Indigo, Madder, Annatto and Sumach. The second section of the book goes over colour. IT is too bad that there are no colour photos in this section. But it details about the variations of colour one gets from home dying, and the preperation and equiptment one needs to start. The best part of this book, however, is the 52 recipes for dyes made from easily obtainable natural material. The recipes help you to obtain the colour you want by equating this much plant plus this much moderant on this much fiber. IT is amazing to see how much the moderant has to do with the final colour. There are also charts for top dying. The book doesn't have much in the way of technique or how to prepare different materials, but the recipes take care of this and are worth it.
Book Description
Plant dyes are popular with quilters and other craftspeople because they produce soft, attractive colors. This is a complete guide to making and using dyes from a wide variety of plants—acorn to zinnia. For each plant: suitability for dyeing, parts to use, processing, availability, fastness of dye, more. List of suppliers, metric conversion table, bibliography, etc.
Customer Reviews:
Technical Tome.......2006-08-12
Loads and loads of information -all in print. The only pictures were on the cover. Information is technical and makes use of the nasties - tin, chrome and copper. It should have been named "Science of the Dyer." If you want to identify anything then you will need more books as this one refers one only to other sources for identification. Good reference book for the technical aspect of dyeing. Dyeing is all about color and this book misses out on that aspect.
Informative and realistic.......2003-03-21
I had been wanting to dye yarn for a long time and I finally ran into this book. It explains everything clearly and warns you multiple times of this not being a science, but rather to expect variations. The book is intended for dyers in the east coast of Canada / NE U.S., where the plants she mentions can be easily found. Nevertheless, anyone can benefit from the technique and general principles explained by the author.
I tried her instructions for the onion dye and it worked like a charm. I got colors very similar to those on the book's cover. Luckily I just pruned my apple trees and plan to use the bark and twigs as dyestuff next.
The book was written before the age of Martha-Stewart detailed instructional photography, so the only thing I wish is that it had included more pictures. But this book should be on every dyer's bookshelf.
Wonderful book for the price.......2000-09-08
The only problem with this book is that it lacks colour photos that would enhance the reading of this book. However, this book is full of information on how to dye wool and other fibers from plants and lichens. The book goes over all the techniques of dying different fibers. It also has a huge section on different plants and what colours you would expect to get when combined with a moderant. The book also contains a section on where to get and how to identify plants and moderants as well as other books that are useful. There are many helpful tables on dyebaths, measurements for moderants and the effects of weak, medium and strong dyebaths. This is a wonderful book for the beginning dyer and an excellent resource, it is easy to read and understand eventhough I think it could have more pictures of the plants, moderants and different colours you may get.
Average customer rating:
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Colors from Nature: Growing, Collecting and Using Natural Dyes
Bobbi A. McRae
Manufacturer: Storey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0882668064 |
Book Description
A newly revised edition of the popular 1994 book, this clear account of plants from which natural dyes can be obtained will be welcomed not only by all who work with fiber arts but also by botanists. The authors have selected 48 plants from different parts of the world and they describe each plant's structure and cultivation, the history of each as a dye source, and the best method for a plant's use based on their own experiments. Most well-known dye plants are discussed, and each plant is beautifully illustrated by Gretel Dalby-Quenet in a full-page painting that shows the colors the plant can yield.
Book Description
The glowing yellow of goldenrod, the warm brown of walnut shells, the pale green of birch leaves ... all the colors of nature delight the eye. To create an infinite variety of beautiful natural colors on wool, silk, cotton and other yarns and materials you can use a host of flowers, leaves, barks and roots, from dahlias and safflower to onion skins and turmeric. Expert dyer Jenny Dean shows you how to dye at home using simple equipment. There is helpful advice on the mordanting process that will fix the color, and guidance on light-fastness, plus instructions on how to use traditional dyestuffs such as color, indigo, weld and madder. For the true enthusiast, there is a chapter on growing one's own dye plants, but even the first-time dyer will be captivated by the rich effects obtainable in the world of natural color.
Customer Reviews:
craft of natural dyeing.......2007-08-13
Excellent book! The other books by this lady are great. Good info with excellent instructions.
A basic, helpful beginning........2000-12-13
What a great resource this book is! As a teacher for young children, this book provided a great background of the craft, easy instructions and even a glossary of terms. For someone who has never experimented with the natural dyeing process, the book was a great place to begin. The wondeful colored pictures were also a delightful reference especially for showing children when presenting a lesson.
Average customer rating:
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Natural Dyes
Hermine Lathrop-Smit
Manufacturer: Lorimer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0888622279
Release Date: 1978-01-01 |
Book Description
Hermine Lathrop-Smit provides 36 easy to follow recipes for turning common Canadian plants such as marigolds, onions and lily of the valley into a wide range of beautiful and unique colours from burnt oranges to subtle pinks and smoky greys.
Organized by colour, the recipes give brief descriptions of the plants to be used and their habitats as well as instructions on how to produce the final dyed material.
Natural Dyes also includes sections on mordants, equipment, collecting, drying and storing the various plants.
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