Natural Dyes

Fereday is a dyer and weaver who studies traditional dyeing techniques from around the world. Here, she works with just five of the major historic dyes to show the extensive color array one can create through mixing, overdyeing and mordanting -- 500 shades in all. Yes, color charts present photo swatches of 500 colors created from 5 plants -- madder, indigo, cutch, cochineal and weld. Each of the 500 colors has a corresponding recipe. The recipes use basic techniques explained in the first part of the book, which also introduces the dyeing process, discusses natural dye sources, and how to make dyes from gathered plants and lichens. Everything is presented in a well-laid out, beautifully photographed and printed format.