Indigo Madder & Marigold
Indigo Madder & Marigold
Indigo, Madder and Marigold: A Portfolio of Colors from Natural Dyes Before she went on to found Louet North America, Trudy Van Stralen was a very rare thing: a production natural dyer. We are lucky indeed that she took the time to create this book. In our opinion it is a most excellent resource, especially for the many dried types of nature dyes such as Brazilwood, cutch, osage orange, cochineal and madder. She also delves a bit into local plants, most particularly black walnuts. If that weren't enough, the colour plates liberally provided are absolutely THE best around. They explain Trudy's recipes for dyes and percentages in a most inspiring and visual way. No nature dyer should be without this resource. Author: Trudy Van Stralen. Published by Interweave Press. Hardcover, 125 pages.
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Spectrum: Dye Plants of Ontario
Spectrum: Dye Plants of Ontario
Spectrum: Dye Plants of Ontario

First of all, don't let the "Ontario" part of the title put you off. Dyeguy (John) is a horticulturist, and says that gardeners and lovers of nature from Zones 2 through 9 will recognize, or may already be growing the vast majority of the plants listed in this book. Some are garden plants, some are natives, some are most often found as weeds in handy places such as ditches and roadsides, just waiting for the dye pot!

The Burr House Spinners and Weavers Guild of Richmond Hill, Ontario put this book together back in 1986 as part of a project that included a live exhibition. We as natural dyes are ever grateful that the Guild has republished this book. It is literally an A to Z of detailed results that dozens of natural dyers across Ontario accumulated testing out plants that, in some cases, nobody had ever written about before. It's another top-notch resource book every nature dyer should own. No colour photos, but plenty of detailed and lovely plant line drawings. Seriously, you will want to cut some of them out and frame them.

Editor: Nancy J. McGuffin. Published by Burr House Spinners and Weavers Guild. Softcover, spiral bound, 309 pages.

$42.50
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Wild Color: Revised edition
Wild Color: Revised edition
Wild Color: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes, Revised Edition

British natural dye guru Jenny Dean always packs her books with practical information and loads of stunning photos. Her mordant recipes are modern and her choice of plants and ingredients are easy-to-find and give excellent results on everything from wool to silk and cotton, including both fibre and fabrics. Truly an essential book for the natural dyer.

Author: Jenny Dean. Published by Potter Craft. Softcover, 144 pages. Colour photographs.

$27.95 Read more