The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results

I’ve already had 3 “AHA” moments, and i’m only half way through. It’s not a book you read once and then sporadically refer to, so fortunately, it’s also spiral bound so it stays open to the page you want. (Terrific, now i have to dig my book/magazine holder back out of the “donate” box….) It’s not so sciencey that it can’t be understood, but it’s also not a skim it and do it manual. It covers the “classic” dyes, none of the usual beets, beans and berries nonsense, so don’t bother if you’re interested only in sauteing up some food waste, throwing in a cute baby onesie and staging artful photos for IG. If you’re serious about natural dyeing, and i don’t mean Total Scientist Mode but are a dedicated hobbyist/artist/small business owner, this is the book to explain WHY things work/don’t/happen. I still recommend Jenny Dean for basic, accurate dye recipes and processes, but this one will give you insights into the many variations that can and are encouraged to happen with skillful, knowledgeable hands. There’s a small section on testing the dye potential of local foraged plants, minimal though helpful, but not the focus of the book. That being said, those tests could lead to work with those plants, following the advice for the classics. It’s all grist for the colour mill! I’m not about to dissect any “recipe” in this reference manual: A. buy the book, i don’t like spreading out the photos of pages i find interesting, as i’d rather you support the authors, and their research and B. the recipes are classic anyways, BUT with much new information that can be digested fully with the book in front of you 🙂 There’s a LOT of excitement about this book in the natural dye groups, and rightly so: it also supports all the things i, and others, have said about what constitutes solid, legitimate dyes and the techniques used to create these wondrous rainbows. I have to laugh though in one sense, because i just know that the new catchphrase is going to be “Welllll, Boutrup Ellis says……..” It’s not a cheap book, but then it’s not a cheap book, like so many of the Popular girls are publishing right now. I’m about to settle in with another cup of coffee and a pack of stickit thingies to mark pages, and do a little dreaming and planning.

I was so excited to receive this book, and although I haven't fully read it, I have glanced through the content and it looks like just what I was hoping for with lots of really useful info, clear photos and a nice layout. HOWEVER: Amazon's shipping choices were horrible and resulted in damage to the book itself. They shipped this with another heavy and non-book-shaped object in a thin, unpadded bag. The corners of the book are bashed in, and the cover has completely been torn off its hinges. For a book bought in new condition, this is pretty unacceptable.

Brains and beauty! Jam packed with excellent quality color swatches that are a pleasure to view . Moreover , the swatches are well laid out , clearly labeled to reference the chapter text . Side by side comparison , with variables such as mordants used , fibers , dye techniques as well as percentages of dye strength was welcome by me indeed. The book has much information I've not seen elsewhere, like recipes :) There's a sense of balance between learning how &why , as well as creative mojo . This book is a reference and learning tool I know I'll be using over the long term . It's price is well below the $60 printed on back cover.. it's more of a textbook in scope . The cover is hard all the way around spine but inside the binding is spiral rings :) If I were to have one book for natural dyeing , this is it .

We are using this book as the basis of our daughter's (11th grade) chemistry class. I was concerned it would be super low level-- not at all! Great text, and true chemistry resource for those kids who are maybe not as interested in the standard high school classroom chemistry class but who still need a HS chemistry credit. Also has experiments in it, and the supply list is attainable for most families.

I’ve been involved in eco printing and natural dyeing for a few years now. My library contains many books on dyeing but I honestly have to say this is the best book I’ve come across for my purposes. It’s a veritable “how to” on so many techniques...how to print with mordant dyes, mixing and shading colors, dyeing yarns, and indigo printing to name a few. And the authors go a step further by explaining the rationale behind “why” steps and processes need to be followed. It’s a beautiful book as well and bound using a spiral centerfold that insures the book lies flat and remains open to particular sections. I find this very helpful when I’m in my studio following along with the instructions. There’s also a tremendous “recipe” section in the back with over 36 recipes covering a broad range of applications. And before I forget, the book is beautiful...color plates are used strategically to depict before and after pictures, colors of dyes in relation to each other and too much more to delve into at the moment. For me, this is the best book investment I’ve ever made! I’m tremendously pleased with it and can see I’ll be taking it to bed with me for a long time!

Great book so far; but has to take one star out because of the spiral binder. It’s a total mess because the pages come off all the time when I’m reading it! Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know how to deal with spiral binder? Is there special handling that I don’t know? Also, this book came inside a hard cover which was detached from the book and I cannot attach it to the binder. I wish I could just read in peace without having to reattach the pages all the time. Or it could have used closed binder so the pages don’t come off. It’s been very informative and easy to understand .

One of the best books around for natural dyes. Very informative.

What a resource for the natural dyer! Nothing fancy; a few colored pictures; no projects. This book is more the science of natural dyeing. I dye with cellulose fibers primarily because that's what I weave with. However many of the examples show animal (protein) fibers like silk and wool. The best parts are the mordants. The authors explain which dyes need them and which don't like walnut. One common mordant, aluminum triacetate, has a limited shelf life. However, it can be made from alum and sodium acetate. Recipes for making mordants and other helpful necessities are included. The authors also illustrate how the colors (on cellulose fibers) are improved by adding tannins on cellulose (walnut, myroblanan, sumac, and pomegranate). Post-dyeing dye mordants, like ferrous sulfate, will sadden the colors. Cochineal will change colors by adding acid, either to the dyepot or post-dyeing. The are several chapters on printing and discharging dye, but that was over my head. Takes the reader through dyes by color. A must have spiral bound book.

This is a book for the serious dyer. It has a hard resilient wipeable cover with the interior pages ring bound so you can read hands free. It is an extremely well laid out book, very explanatory and well written. The last section has recipes for extracting Dye from many plants with scientific explanations.

Mi piace il modo completo in cui è spiegata l'arte della tintura naturale.

Hugely increased my understanding of eco-dying processes

Excellent Exactly what I needed

livro muito bom, trouxe uma luz sobre todo processo de tingimento natural. Com ele consegui entender o que funciona e o que não funciona. Foi o melhor livro que adquiri sobre o assunto ate agora. Somente senti falta de um capitulo sobre impressão botanica com as folhas, pois o capitulo que existe é sobre impressão com carimbos. Mas me ajudou muito.