Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens [Paperback]

Karen Leigh Casselman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 1993

Here is a complete guide to making and using dyes from a wide variety of plants — from acorn to zinnia. For each plant: suitability for dyeing, parts to use, processing, availability, fastness of dye, more. Includes list of suppliers, metric conversion table, and bibliography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; 2 Revised edition (August 11, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486276066
• ISBN-13: 978-0486276069
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for the price, September 7, 2000

By 

J. Osborne "bullajabbar" (uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens (Paperback)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and realistic, March 20, 2003

By 

M. Prats (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens (Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technical Tome, August 12, 2006

By 

C. Gee (Haida Gwaii BC Canada) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens (Paperback)

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.