Dyeing Books

A Dyer's Garden - $19.00
Rita Buchannan. "Using dyes from plants is my way of saving colors...", states this author, and she helps you rediscover old techniques, research and create new ones and grow your own for more opportunity and greater reward. Photos and descriptions of 30 plants are supplied, related species, how to grow them and how to dye hundreds of colors. The author discusses which plants to grow or not to grow; she has included questions from seminar she teaches with answers. 112pp. Pb.

A Dyer's Manual - $32.00
Jill Goodwin. An experimental dyer for over fifty years and well respected for her knowledge of dye plants and her work with woad, Jill published A Dyer's Manual in 1982. Following many requests a new edition has been produced, and her enthusiasm and interest can be shared with a new generation of dyers. Contents include: Preparation of Fibres, Mordants, Test Dyeing, Dyeing With Weeds, Dyes From the Garden, Ancient Dyes, Indigo, Lichen Dyes, Dyeing in Schools, Using Dyed Fibres, and an extensive chart of plants, and the colours they give with different mordants. 34 colour plates and many more illustrations.

Ancient and Medieval Dyes - $15.00
William F Leggett. This classic text is an informative and easy-to-read introduction to the most common animal and vegetable dyes used before the introduction of synthetic chemical dyes. 80pp. Pb.

Ashford Book of Dyeing Revised Edition - $35.00
Ann Milner. An outline of the basic principles, describing fabrics, relevant dyes (both natural and chemical) and techniques. For the more experienced dyer, she also provides detailed recipes for named dyes, instructions for advanced techniques, and a clear discussion of percentage dyeing. The author shows how to achieve novelty effects with hot exhaust dyeing and how to use such novel heat sources as the sun and the microwave oven. 192pp. Pb.

The Craft of Natural Dyeing - $22.00
Jenny Dean. The author has researched ethnic dyeing techniques, shows a concern with conservational, environmental and safety factors, and works with both animal and vegetable fibers. She starts with onion skins, details natural mordants and metallic salts, testing leaves and stems, prunings, flower heads, barks, roots, woods, skins, hulls, berries, seeds and lichens. A must-have for all dyers concerned with the environment, no matter what level of experience. Filled with gorgeous color photos of plants, materials and how to use them. Pb.

Craft of the Dyer: Plants and Lichens - $15.00
Karen Leigh Casselman. Plant dyes are popular with 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. 256pp. Pb.

Dye One Knit One - $36.00
Helen Deighan & Linda De Ruiter. If you've ever fancied dyeing your own yarn, this book could open up a whole new world of possibilities! Helen Deighan's love of dyeing yarn began when she couldn't find the right shade of yarn for a pattern - and decided to dye her own. This is a how-to book packed full of clear and concise information. It makes for an intriguing read as you discover all you need to know about dyeing yarn. If you're a beginner, you might want to first follow the instructions for dyeing in the section 'The quick and easy way'. Even experienced dyers will find useful nuggets of information inside this book. It's easy to dive in and get started quickly on a dye project. The book is designed to be used as you work and is spiral bound so it stays open easily. As well as specifically helping you create the yarn you want (self-striping of tweed effects, for example) there's information about dyes and fibres which will help you choose the best match for your situation. As a final bonus, there are 11 patterns designed to show off your new hand-dyed yarns, including simple socks and a really quirky clock face. 96pp. Pb.

Dyeing In Plastic Bags - $30.00
Helen Deighan. Dyeing can be soooo complicated and messy. It's a pleasure discovering an innovative book making it easy. Grab rubber gloves, plastic bags and plastic pans (cat boxes!) and dive into dyeing! Deighan happened upon her plastic bag technique while preparing a dye workshop for 10. Knowing that cloth first in the dye bath is brightest, 10 individual pots seemed necessary. Not owning 10 pots, but recalling bagged salad. Voila! The technique was born! Chapters include graduated and tie-dye techniques, working with children, record keeping, and frequently asked questions. Bright photographs with whimsical line drawings are smattered among the step-by-step directions. 80pp. Pb.

Dyeing the Clothing of the Common People 1480-1580 - $12.00
Robert Stewart Morris Peachey & David Hopkins. Stuart Press pamphlet. 36pp. Pb.

Dyeing Wool and Other Protein Fibres: An Introduction to Acid Dyes - $45.00
Susan Rex. This book is a guide to dyeing yarn, fleece, prepared fiber, silk scarves and painted warps. Directions are given for mixing dye, immersion dyeing, and applying the dye directly to the fiber. There are many variations listed plus a variety of processing methods. As well as exercises in color mixing and color value, this book contains clear step-by-step instructions, which allow you to obtain repeatable dye results. Several brands of dyes are discussed, comparing dye colors obtained from each. Instructions for each brand of dye are included. This book is your complete guide to dyeing. 148pp. SB.

Dyes From Kitchen Produce - $32.00
Setsuko Ishii. Teas...spices...garden herbs... Many things available in the home can be used for quick and easy dyeing. This book contains all sorts of ideas suited to the seasons of the year, for dyeing leftover fabrics and yarns, and making attractive and handy novelties. 88pp. Pb.

Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles - $49.00
India Flint. Dyeing with plants is a kind of botanical alchemy, a process that gives beautiful and sometimes surprising results. It is also a gentle and ecologically sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes, which are often harmful in themselves and in the processes used in their manufacture. The book encompasses only ecologically sustainable plant-dye methods using renewable resources, and attempts to take the path of doing the least possible harm to the dyer, the end user of the object, and the environment. Various techniques are discussed. Recipes include a number of entirely new processes developed by the author, as well as guidelines for plant collection, directions for distillation of non-toxic mordants and methodologies for applying plant dyes. The book is aimed at both the novice home dyer and textile or design professionals seeking to extend their skills. 238pp. Hb.

Fabic & Yarn Dyer's Handbook - $28.00
Tracy Kendall. With detailed instructions for all the main dyeing and decorating techniques, as well as innovative contemporary methods involving photocopiers, aluminum foil, and latex, this book features over 100 beautifully illustrated projects. A comprehensive section on the characteristics of different fabrics and yarns, dyes, pigments, and paints, packed with handy tips, makes this a must-have resource for any crafter in search of unique textiles or yarns. 160pp. Pb.

Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece - $30.00
Gail Callahan. Self-taught dyer Gail Callahan uses fiber, color, and heat to create exciting new yarns and yarn colors. Her recipe-style instructions lead readers through a variety of simple techniques that turn plain or outdated yarns into colorful fibers. There are even eight projects for knitters eager to use their new yarns. Standard kitchen equipment is all that's needed to set up a kitchen dye shop. Dyeing can be done in a microwave oven, a sturdy stovetop kettle, a crockpot, a traditional oven, or even an electric frying pan — Callahan covers every method. Instructions are included for dyeing singlecolour yarns as well as designing self-striping and multicolored yarns with dip-dyeing, tie-dyeing hand-painting, and other inventive techniques. Detailed advice on color theory and types of dyes, including food colors and other "grocery store" dyes, make the entire process achievable for complete beginners. 168. Hb.

Hand-Dyed Yarn Craft Projects - $23.00
Debbie Tomkies. This book shows how even an inexperienced crafter can dye yarn using simple techniques and basic household equipment, and create unique and charming accessories. The items to make from the customized yarns begin with very simple shapes for which only one or two knitting or crochet stitches are needed. 155pp. Pb.

The History of Woad and the Medieval Woad Vat - $19.00
John Edmonds. A short history of the techniques used for indigo dyeing from woad before the introduction of synthetic dyes. John Edmonds is a retired engineer who has researched and recreated the textile dyes used in Europe from 500 BC to the 19th century. The ancient methods using woad and imperial purple have been of particular interest. In 2003 he was awarded the Open Prize for the Presentation of Heritage Research at the British Association's Festival of Science. 47pp. Pb.

Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World - $33.00
Catherine E McKinley. For almost five millennia, in every culture and in every major religion, indigo - a blue pigment obtained from the small green leaf of a parasitic shrub through a complex process - has been at the center of turbulent human encounters. Indigo is the story of this precious dye and its ancient heritage: its relationship to slavery as the "hidden half" of the transatlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and its spiritual significance, which is little recognized but no less alive today. It is an untold story, brimming with rich, electrifying tales of those who shaped the course of colonial history and a world economy. But Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan as their virile armor; the kin of several generations of Jewish "rag traders"; the maternal granddaughter of a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and the paternal granddaughter of African slaves - her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life. McKinley's journey in search of beauty and her own history ultimately leads her to a new and satisfying path, to finally "taste life." Indigo will be irresistible to read. 236pp. Hb.

Indigo, Madder and Marigold - $44.00
Trudy Van Stralen. The author gives 3-day workshops and sets up a sample workshop in this book, having you produce 24 dyed skeins and samples. She uses 20+ traditional dyestuffs from renewable resources, minimal mordants, some in combination with others, and a creative approach to dye mixing to produce a stunning range from a few dyepots. Instructions and recipes, along with equipment, preparation, use of mordants, and more bring you everything but drab colors. It's a treasure. 127pp. Hb.

Natural Dyeing - $19.00
Jackie Crook. For thousands of years, natural dyes have been celebrated for their subtlety and diversity. And, thanks to contemporary concerns about chemicals and toxins, their popularity is surging again. Fortunately, as this vibrant guide so elegantly shows, the craft is both easy and enjoyable to explore and requires no special equipment: just ordinary pots and pans. A thoroughly illustrated tutorial covers all the basics of hot and cool dyeing, and 30 colorful options to try, including roots and plants (madder, tumeric, henna), wood (cutch, fustic), flowers (safflower, dandelion, daffodil), leaves and stalks (tea, rhubarb, indigo), and fruits and vegetables (blackberry, wild cherry, avocado). From pale pinks and vibrant oranges to earthy browns and rich blues, a vast spectrum of hues await. 112pp. Pb.

Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing - $11.00
Rita Adrosko. This is two books in one. The first documents the use of about 50 of the most common natural materials in the United States used for dyeing before the introduction of synthetic dyes. The second is a revised version of "Home Dyeing with Natural Dyes," an out-of-print U.S. Department of Agriculture publication first issued in 1935. The dye recipes in that publication still stand among the most thoroughly tested of those published in recent years. 160pp. Pb.

Natural Plant Dyes - $15.00
Judith V Hallett. A Practical and simple guide to dyemaking with plants, which takes the reader step-by-step from plant collection to dyed yarn so easily that even novices will be inspired to try. Lists at the back of the book cover well over 100 Australian plants (and some commonly found introduced plants), each of which can potentially release five different colours with different mordants. The lists are organised under colour divisions, grouping plants which will provide a particular colour, under both botanical and common names. An excellent introductory book on dyeing. 64pp. Pb.

Orizomagami - $20.00
Embellish Magazine. Orizomegami is essentially paper (or fabric) that has been folded and then dyed to produce a pattern when the paper is unfolded. This idea has been practiced in Japan and around the world for centuries. If you work with fabrics, you might notice similarities between orizomegami and the Japanese fabric dyeing techniques of shibori or itajime. The basic technique is simple. Each paper or fabric that you dye is completely unique and a surprise when you unfold it and the pattern is revealed. Orizomegami uses inexpensive materials often found around a house, takes only minutes to set up (and clean up), can be completely non-toxic and fume free (depending on what dyes you choose), and even a 5-year old can produce beautiful results. This book goes beyond the common basic folds and applications, and explores more of the possibilities. Consider this book a jumping-off point, or a creativity-booster. There are infinite numbers of fold and dye possibilities awaiting discovery! Pb.

Printmaking With Photopolymer Plates - $40.00
Dianne Longley. Rare copy. Out of Print! Pb.

Wild Color (Revised Edition) - $31.00
Jenny Dean. For dyers of all types of fibers, from beginner to experienced, or for gardeners interested in new uses for traditional plants, who want to learn successful techniques for dyeing with natural materials. Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition, documents dyeing techniques for more than 65 plant species, presenting recipes and color swatches for over 250 results. 144pp. Pb.

Yarn Lover's Guide to Hand Dyeing - $55.00
Linda La Belle. Showcasing seven professional hand dyers through lush photographs and personal interviews in which they share their thoughts, advice, and sometimes dyeing secrets! A variety of hand-dyeing processes are taught, including faux ikat, used to create a fun tie-dyed effect; quick stovetop techniques that yield tons of color; space dyeing, which uses several colors to create a pattern; a way to dye already knitted pieces; and trouble-free methods for immersion and handpainting. There’s also info on different types of dye – from Kool-Aid and food coloring to Jacquard Acid and PRO One Shot. Once you’re finished, show off your rich and quirky new hues with 20 original knit and crochet patterns. Designs are easy yet sophisticated, and include everything from ponchos to scarves and hats to arm warmers. You’ll find clear instructions, entertaining projects, and plenty of how-to tips. 160pp. Hb.

Yarns to Dye For: Creating Self-Patterning Knitting Yarns - $36.00
Kathleen Taylor. Beginning and veteran knitters alike can learn how to produce homemade self-patterning yarns with this easy, step-by-step guide. Instructions are provided for choosing materials and equipment, skeining and preparing yarn, and painting and dyeing the yarn—all with materials that are found in most grocery and craft stores. Twenty-five quick projects, each presented with dyeing and knitting instructions, will help develop the reader's technique and produce exciting, colorful garments, including gloves, mittens, scarves, and even a summer shell. Guidelines for modifying projects, tips on embellishing, and ideas for leftover yarn are also included. 101pp. Pb.