Fabric Dyeing For Beginners [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Vimala McClure (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

For the many people who love hand-dyed fabrics but think they are too difficult to make, Vimala McClure presents an easy to do technique that is convenient and gentle on the pocketbook. The author says, 'I use methods that are simple to understand and that can be broken down into steps to be completed on separate days.' Because her dyeing process is done in small batches, there is minimal mess to clean up. Worked in small jars or a plastic bin, luminous fabrics with exciting patterns can be made in a total of two to three hours. Using widely available dye products, which are listed in the resources section, the author provides dye recipes for mixing batches of 12 different colors or, for more variety, 24 colors. She shows how to make intriguing color mixtures, single-color gradations and multiple color gradations. With a cookbook approach and step by step photos, the author demonstrates tie dyeing, Shibori-like dyeing, fold dyeing, and overdyeing, each method illustrated with examples of wonderful fabric swatches and quilt blocks. She also describes how to make simple stencils for sponging or spraying to add pizzazz to any fabric.

Editorial Reviews

Review

McClure approaches the somewhat daunting prospect of chemicals, rubber gloves, and stained sinks wi th enthusiasm, but also with practical sense. She knows that busy women need ways to fit these processes into their other responsibilities, and so breaks the processes up into small, manageable pieces that can be done over several days...The technical details are nicely balanced by photos of many styles of quilts that make use of hand=dyed fabrics.- Planet Patchwork Brookbriefs No. 20

About the Author

"Quilting gave me a creative outlet when I was raising my children. Each quilt I made fueled my creative fire. Soon I was making 3 and 4 quilts at a time." Today Vimala McClure writes and inspires creativity. It is her mission to promote creative quiltmaking.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: American Quilter's Society; Ill edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574328131
• ISBN-13: 978-1574328134
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring yet practical, April 30, 2003

By 

Robert Holland "quiltchannel.com" (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fabric Dyeing For Beginners (Paperback)

Fabric dyeing is one of those things that appeals to our primitive finger-painting urges. It's messy, colorful, and very satisfying. Vimala McClure's book for beginners, which grew originally from a popular magazine article, is just the ticket if you've been contemplating giving this a try. McClure approaches the somewhat daunting prospect of chemicals, rubber gloves, and stained sinks with enthusiasm, but also with practical sense. She knows that busy women need ways to fit these processes into their other responsibilities, and so breaks the processes up into small, manageable pieces that can be done over several days. Several different dyeing techniques are explored, including pickle-jar, fabric-fold, tie-dye, and stencil methods. The technical details are nicely balanced by photos of many styles of quilts that make us of hand-dyed fabrics.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something New, and not necessarily just for beginners, March 17, 2003

By 

"juliezs" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fabric Dyeing For Beginners (Paperback)

This is such a great new approach to dyeing. I recommend this book for dyeing beginners as well as the experienced dyer. There are actually new things to learn out there, and a lot of them are in this book.
The instructions are clear and the illustrations are useful as well as beautiful. There are great examples of quilt blocks using the different types of fabrics, as well as completed quilts. That is very helpful, and has sparked a lot of new ideas for me (no more, what do I do with this?)
What I really liked about this book was the illustrated folding techniques, which are used to achieve incredibly complex surface designs with minimal effort. That is the key for a lot of people I think *minimal effort*, this is a low-tech, simple way to dye your own fabrics.
Another part of the book which is so important in my opinion, is the emphasis on safety while dyeing. A lot of the other books out there geared towards beginners do not go into enough detail on easy ways to be safe while dyeing.
If you're tired of paying big $$ for hand-dyes, then you need to buy this book and see how easy it is to get the results that you want.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for 1st time dyers & those looking for a refresher, March 17, 2003

By 

Chérie (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fabric Dyeing For Beginners (Paperback)

This is a terrific new book on dyeing fabric. If you've ever thought about trying to dye your own fabric but were afraid of the mess or complicated steps involved, read this book and try out the recipes. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy, fun, and relatively mess-free it can be.

Vimala gives clear, step-by-step info on "pickle dyeing" in small quantities and with a minimum of space and mess, as well as info on tie dyeing, stencilling, and fold dyeing. The steps are well illustrated and several samples of each technique are shown. In addition, a gallery of Vimala's quilts, which use fabrics she's created, is in the back of the book.

I'll admit to being biased. I made two of the samples used in the book - it was great fun having a chance to play with Vimala's fabrics and dream up ways to show them off. Also, I own two of Vimala's quilts. The fabrics she created for those quilts is splendiferous as are the quilts themselves (Sarasvati is one of the most amazing pieces of artwork I've seen). One of the methods I've used for dyeing my own fabric is a variation on Vimala's pickle dyeing.

Even though I'm an experienced dyer, I plan on spending some time going through the recipes in the book and "cooking up" some fabrics using the techniques Vimala beautifully describes. While I don't expect to abandon my Ann Johnston books on dyeing, this book certainly can share the shelf with them.