Natural Dyeing [Paperback]

Jackie Crook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

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 awaits.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jackie Crook is an experimental dyer who grows her own natural dyes and has been practising for almost 20 years. She is a member of the Mid-Essex Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Association. Location: UK. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600592228
• ISBN-13: 978-1600592225
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,213,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good process book, but no info on finding dyes, April 18, 2008

By 

G. Hadley (Newbury, VT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural Dyeing (Paperback)

This book had great photos showing the entire process of mordanting and dyeing, and also of the different dyes and colors obtained with all of the common mordants.

If you only plan to use commercially available natural dyes, this will be a great resource.

The book was not for me because it only covered the traditional dyes like indigo, madder, logwood, etc. that for most are not available locally. I wanted a book that would tell me about plants that might actually be growing in my area.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In response to the previous comments . . ., August 25, 2008

By 

D. S. Hockman "fiber nut gal" (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natural Dyeing (Paperback)

I bought this book more for the information about the cleaning, mordanting and dyeing processes described in the beginning of the book. And I must say the photography is brilliant. As for obtaining the dyes, I use dye extracts from Table Rock Llamas in Colorado. They offer over 30 colors, including the exotics shown in "Natural Dyeing" (they don't sell toxic mordants). But if I want to grow my own dye plants, I rely on "A Dyer's Garden" by Rita Buchanan, a fantastic little book that gives growing info, dye recipies and results, and a supplier's list to obtain plants and seeds. Finally, I will experiment if I want to see what color a particular plant might give -- I hear bindweed, a noxious weed where I live, gives brilliant greens . . .

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful but disappointing, July 1, 2008

By 

Ana Reinert (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Natural Dyeing (Paperback)

The photography in this book is stunning! Sadly, this is neither a good primer to dyeing techniques nor is it a great resource for experienced dyers because all of the "natural materials" used are extremely unusual plants and barks found in India and other exotic locales. This book does not provide the basics for people who are just starting out with dyeing using natural fibers and it does not provide any information about how to acquire these rare materials.

Is it possible to dye with oak leaves or banana peels? That's the kind of natural dyeing information that a novice dyer living in the American midwest needs. I suppose if I lived in a more exotic locale with greater access to botanical shops and markets, I might be able to use this book for something. As it is, I will admire the beautiful colors in the photographs and hope I might be able to mimic the colors with Jacquard dyes.