Journeys in Natural Dyeing


Book Description

“Beautifully written as part travel memoir and part dyeing handbook . . . you are handed a wealth of knowledge in one book.” —Little Acorn Creations Similar to cooking and the act of sharing meals, our relationship to textiles is a core tenet of our human experience. Creating textiles cultivates connection, belonging, community, and friendships among people. In the world of textiles, natural dyeing is the closest we come to the act of cooking. Journeys in Natural Dyeing shares the story of Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez’s travels to four countries—Iceland, Mexico, Japan, and Indonesia—where they visited natural dyers who use locally-sourced dyes to create textiles that evoke beauty, a connection to their environment, and showcase their mastery of skill. This book shares their process of using their own locally-grown dyes and includes recipes and projects to create more than 400 shades of color. In addition, you will learn how to use your own natural environment to create deep, beautiful colors. No matter where you live, creating color naturally is possible.




The Modern Natural Dyer


Book Description

“Kristine’s book breaks down natural dyeing from both a scientific and creative perspective, making the process feel as approachable as it is beautiful.” —Design*Sponge Thousands of natural materials can produce glorious color—the insect cochineal produces pink, maroon, and purple, and more than 500 species of plants produce indigo blue. In The Modern Natural Dyer expert Kristine Vejar shares the most user-friendly techniques for dyeing yarn, fabric, and finished goods at home with foraged and garden-raised dyestuffs as well as with convenient natural dye extracts. Demystifying the “magic,” Vejar explains in explicit, easy-to-follow detail how to produce consistent, long-lasting color. With stunning photography of the dyes themselves, the dyeing process, and twenty projects for home and wardrobe (some to knit, some to sew, and some just a matter of submerging a finished piece in a prepared bath), The Modern Natural Dyer is a complete resource for aspiring and experienced dye artisans. “A terrific primer for anyone new to the technique. Kristine walks you through the ins and outs of the process, from defining what scouring and mordanting mean to helping you learn how best to achieve desired colors.” —DIY Network “Vejar’s lovely book is very sophisticated and detailed.” —Library Journal (starred review) “Absolutely stunning . . . The projects range from dyeing pre-made items like a slip, silk scarf or tote bag to dyeing yarn to knit a hat, shawl or cardigan . . . exceeded all my high expectations.” —Make Something




The Rainbow Beneath My Feet


Book Description

The Rainbow Beneath My Feet includes step-by-step instructions to the process from collecting the mushrooms to dyeing the wool. There is an accurate and up-to-date description for each species along with over 200 color photographs. The scope of this work goes beyond the identification of species. The authors provide information about dyeing equipment, mordants, preparing and dyeing the wool, and the dazzling array of colors that can be obtained from mushroom.




Lichen Dyes


Book Description

Noted textile designer and lichen expert explains how to create and use dyes derived from lichens. Text covers history of the use of lichen pigments, safe dyeing methods, ecologically sound dyeing, and use of mordants, lichen identification, and more. Text also offers a fascinating history of Asian and European lichen pigments, Scottish, Irish, and Scandinavian domestic lichen dyes, and others.




The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes


Book Description

Through step-by-step instructions and color-saturated photographs, textile designer Sasha Duerr explains the basics of making and using natural plant dye, from gathering materials and making the dyes to simple ideas for how to use them. --from publisher description




Making a Life


Book Description

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2019 Why do we make things by hand? And why do we make them beautiful? Led by the question of why working with our hands remains vital and valuable in the modern world, author and maker Melanie Falick went on a transformative, inspiring journey. Traveling across continents, she met quilters and potters, weavers and painters, metalsmiths, printmakers, woodworkers, and more, and uncovered truths that have been speaking to us for millennia yet feel urgently relevant today: We make in order to slow down. To connect with others. To express ideas and emotions, feel competent, create something tangible and long-lasting. And to feed the soul. In revealing stories and gorgeous original photographs, Making a Life captures all the joy of making and the power it has to give our lives authenticity and meaning.




The Natural Colors Cookbook


Book Description

The Essential Manual for Creating Custom Natural Dyes at Home Discover the wonder of nature’s living colors and transform everyday items with The Natural Colors Cookbook, your guide to creating a spectrum of organic dyes using seasonal produce and leftover food. Now you can bring the timeless form of plant-based dyes to the comfort and familiarity of your own kitchen with the expertise of Maggie Pate, owner and designer of the naturally-dyed clothing label Nåde. Watch in awe as a few hours on the stove extracts a delicate blush tone from a handful of avocado pits, water-soaked black beans release an ashy blue hue and fennel feathers morph into an icy mint. Instead of tossing vegetable trimmings, transform red onion skins into an unexpected olive green, minimizing waste and avoiding harsh chemical dyes. From selecting among types of natural fibers to mordant and scouring baths, this introduction to hand dyeing covers everything beginners need to know to create a colorful custom palette of textiles. The Natural Colors Cookbook includes simple DIY projects for using your unique dyes, safety tips and precautions, advice for altering hues and instructions for collecting and cataloging colors. It’s an accessible and comprehensive resource every aspiring fiber artist needs.




Eco Colour


Book Description

The essence of plants bursts forth in magnificent hues and surprising palettes. Using dyes of the leaves, roots, and flowers to color your cloth and yarn can be an amazing journey into botanical alchemy. In Eco Colour, artistic dyer and colorist India Flint teaches you how to cull and use this gentle and ecologically sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes. India explores the fascinating and infinitely variable world of plant color using a wide variety of techniques and recipes. From whole-dyed cloth and applied color to prints and layered dye techniques, India describes only ecologically sustainable plant-dye methods. She uses renewable resources and shows how to do the least possible harm to the dyer, the end user of the object, and the environment. Recipes include a number of entirely new processes developed by India, as well as guidelines for plant collection, directions for the distillation of nontoxic mordants, and methodologies for applying plant dyes. Eco Colour inspires both the home dyer and textile professional seeking to extend their skills using India's successful methods.




Botanical Inks


Book Description

Learn how to transform foraged wild plants, plants, garden produce and recycled food into dyes and inks with Botanical Inks. The book shows you how to extract environmentally sustainable colour from the landscape and use it to create natural dyes for textiles, clothing, paper and other materials. Botanical Inks covers dyeing and surface application techniques, including bundle dyeing, Shibori tie-dyeing, hapazome, indigo sugar vat dyeing, wood-block printing, screen printing and more. And it also shows you how to turn your new inks, dyes and technique knowledge into wonderful projects, from a simple bundle-dyed a scarf to a block-printed tote bag. The process of turning plants into print can help you reconnect with nature, find a creative outlet and develop a mindful sense of presence. It also promotes an awareness of sustainable practices and how to reduce our impact on the planet.




Indigo


Book Description

Indigo is the rich, electrifying history of a precious dye: its relationship to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and its spiritual significance - all very much alive today. But it is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley's ancestors include a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan, several generations of Jewish 'rag traders' and Massachusetts textile factory owners, and African slaves who were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo. Her journey takes her to nine West African countries and is resplendent with powerful lessons of heritage and history which shape the way she understands her world at home.