Jim Marquardt

I received this as a gift from my friend Natalie. I've been meaning to learn more about natural dyeing and this is the time of year to start planning our balcony garden, so this is a timely book to receive for Christmas.

Buchanan breaks everything down in to simple steps--mordant the yarn, gather the plants, make the dye liquor, dye the plants. Nothing to it. Each plant discussed has pictures of swatches of that plant used with different mordants. Alum used with marigolds gives one color, chrome gives another, etc. There are at least 6 different options for each plant. The book itself is a good size to throw in a glove box or back pocket. Handy if you're out exploring and find some wildflowers that can be used for dyeing.

Overall I think the book is interesting and a handy reference for what certain dyes look like on different fibers with different mordants, but growing my own dyes probably isn't for me. It takes a LOT of plants to have enough dye for one project.
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This book is my favorite on dying yarn with plants. It is beautifully laid out with color samples of all the different plants and the colors they make with various techniques. ( )

I like the way this book is organized. A quick flip through it's second half is a delight to the eyes, as each plant listed features color photos of the colors it yields on a variety of fibers with a variety of mordants.

The first three chapters discuss dye plants from a gardener's view: what to choose, how to get and grow, and how plan the garden. Chapter four discusses the process of natural dyeing, and chapter five lists factors that effect the color outcome.

The last chapter of the book is entitled, "A Portfolio of Dye Garden Plants." It includes color photos of both the plants and the color results that can be obtained from them, as well as details on how to grow and how to dye with.

A suppliers list and bibliography for further reading complete the book.

In all, a pretty good book. Has some nice photographs of the plants in question and some of the colors available from the plants with different mordants, fibers, and dye baths. Some good advice on what to try and what not to try. ( )