Colours from Nature: A Dyer's Handbook [Paperback]

This book has been so popular that it has been re-issued. It describes, in full detail, how to prepare and use natural dyes on a variety of fibres to produce a wide range of colours, following safe and environmentally-friendly methods. The recipe section gives instructions for over 100 colours, using both traditional dyes such as cochineal, indigo, madder and weld plus dyes from more common plants such as blackberry, rhubarb, oak and walnut.-Machine Knitting Monthly This pocket-sized handbook is an excellent guide to preparing and using natural dyes. There are recipes for over one hundred colours. Discover hot to use traditional dyes and common plants to create a rainbow of colours. The information is well-presented and easy to follow. It is accompanied by good photography. Tremendous little book full of practical information. The 102 page book is a re-issue; it is the final word in natural dyeing.-KarenPlatt.co.uk Hand dyed fabrics are gaining in popularity and with three decades of experience of dyeing, Jenny has produced a detailed account of all areas associated with the process. There are few illustrations here but this is really a book for the experimental dyer wishing to gain information and new recipes. With over 100 colours from nature, using both traditional dyes and then going on to common plants such as rhubarb, blackberry and oak, there is certainly a lot to be learned from this expert.-Fabrications Describes in full detail how to prepare and use natural dyes on a variety of fibres to produce a wide range of colours, following safe and environmentally friendly methods. The comprehensive recipe section gives instructions for over 100 colours, using both traditional dyes such as cochineal, indigo, madder and weld plus dyes from more common plants such as blackberry, rhubarb, oak and walnut.-Machine Knitting Monthly This is a super little book full of practical information, and as it has been so popular Search Press Ltd. have re-issued it.-Workbox Tired of the limited choice given when choosing cloth for your next project, or even when perusing the commercial dyes available? Why not make your own dyes from natural materials, just like people have been doing for thousands of years? This was the way of dyeing all cloth until late Victorian times, and in these days when anything "back to nature" is popular it is once again an option. There are a lot of words in here and far fewer pictures than is usual for Search Press, but it is a big subject and needs plenty of space for discussion. I won't go into the technical details here, but the book certainly does, and when I actually sat down to read it I was impressed by the fact that it is not as obscure as I thought. Ms Dean explains it all rather well, from safety tips to mordanting, cleaning the fibers if you are really going all the way with real fleeces, etc. to testing for fastness. My tip is to sit down and just read it all before you actually do anything, absorbing all the new and unfamiliar information like cloth does a dye. I particularly liked the back section on making dye recipes, where the page edges are color coded for ease of use and the colors each recipe would produce on white cloth are shown. At the very back, along with a useful index, are further lists of plants you can use and the colors they produce, and a bibliography. For a small format book costing under GBP10 (or $20) this is quite an exhaustive volume.-Myshelf.com The Dyer's Handbook, re-issued from 2007. Jenny describes in detail how to prepare and use natural dyes on a variety of fibres to produce a wide range of colours, following safe and environmentally friendly methods. The comprehensive recipe section gives instructions for over 100 colours, using both traditional dyes such as cochineal, indigo, madder and weld as well as dyes from more common plants including blackberry, rhubarb, oak and walnut. Equipment and safety issues are covered as well as selecting and preparing materials for dyeing. Subjects include Mordanting, Extracting and Applying Dye Colour, Making and Using Colour Modifiers, Testing for Light and Wash Fastness, plus 49 pages of recipes.-Sew Today This excellent little book took me back to happy days at Art College experimenting with Fustic chips, Logwood, Madder and mordants until my fingers and clothing changed into rainbows. Jenny Dean has written a very comprehensive dyers handbook. She explains very clearly health and safety, the selection and preparation of materials and lots of information on the technical side of dyeing. The use of colour illustrations makes the explanations very easy to follow. Her checklist of 'Important Reminders' is something I would have loved as a student. Dyeing from natural materials is a fascinating process and Jenny Dean has written a wonderful and inspiring book which would encourage anyone to start experimenting.-Meg-online.info

The comprehensive recipe section gives instructions for over 100 colours, using both traditional dyes such as cochineal, indigo, madder and weld, and dyes from more common plants such as blackberry, rhubarb, oak and walnut.