"'Harvesting Color' presents the entire process of infusing your life with color--finding the right plants, harvesting them at the best time, transforming the crop into beautiful dye, and, finally, marring pigment to fiber. In this beautiful book, Rebecca Burgess showcases thre dozen common plants that yield striking hues. Citing fascinating botanical lore, she demystifies the process of recognizing each plant in the wild. For those you can grow yourself, she details when to sow the seed and how to nuture the plant. For all the plants, you'll learn the optimal time to harvest, as well as how to extract the best dyes" --Cover flap.

This book describes some 300 plants and 30 animals (marine mollusks and scale insects) that are used as sources for natural dyes. Botanical or zoological details are given for each source and the chemical structures is shown for each dye. Dyes employed by different civilisations, identified by dye analyses, are illustrated and relevant historical recipes and detailed descriptions of dyeing processes by traditional dyers are quoted and explained in the light of modern science. Other current uses of natural colorants, e.g. in medicine and for food and cosmetics, and replacement of synthetic by natural dyes are also noted.

Describes traditional methods of extracting pigmented materials from trees and plants and provides several dye recipes

Handsome line drawings of 126 common, roadside plants are included with tips on how to use them to obtain a range of warm, subtle colors.

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.

This long-awaited guide serves as a tool to explain the general principles of natural dyeing, and to help dyers to become more accomplished at their craft through an increased understanding of the process. Photos of more than 450 samples demonstrate the results of actual dye tests, and detailed information covers every aspect of natural dyeing including theory, fibers, mordants, dyes, printing, organic indigo vats, finishing, and the evaluation of dye fastness. Special techniques of printing and discharging indigo are featured as well. The book is intended for dyers and printers who wish to more completely understand the "why" and the "how," while ensuring safe and sustainable practices. Written by a textile engineer and chemist (Boutrup) and a textile artist and practitioner (Ellis), its detailed and tested recipes for every process, including charts and comparisons, make it the ideal resource for dyers with all levels of experience.