Product Description

The dyeing of textiles and other materials is a rewarding and delightful way to bring the colors of nature to daily living. In our technological age, dyes from plants offer subtle and diverse hues unavailable from synthetic dyestuffs. They connect practitioners to the environment as well as to the crafts and history of our ancestors. Dyes from native plants offer a special source of satisfaction and beauty. In this fascinating book, the authors have compiled extensive information to bring the techniques, plants, and lore of natural dyeing within every reader's reach. Chapters include discussions of color theory, dye equipment, dye processes, mordants, and easy-to-follow instructions for processing plants and dyeing fabrics. The core of the book is an exhaustive reference to the hundreds of colors that can be obtained from 158 commonly encountered North American plant species. The authors include detailed records of the various plant parts needed to produce different colors, cross-referencing each color to the Munsell color system, an internationally accepted standard for describing color. Finally, the book offers a practical botanical field guide that allows readers to locate and identify each plant in the book. Beautiful color photographs round out the volume.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9750 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 340 pages

From Booklist
Richards and Tyrl discuss the science of color and dyeing, the history of natural dyes, dye equipment and processing, and the colors obtained from 158 native North American plant species that are dissected and their parts processed and tested with five mordants. The result is a collection of more than 4,600 dye samples presented in a wealth of color photographs. The authors meticulously describe each of the 158 species and the exact colors various parts of each plant produce, and they identify the experimental conditions that result in little or no dye color. Each entry includes a description of the plant's morphological characteristics, soil requirements, and distribution. The result is a rather technical manual, hence a bit demanding, but readers interested in the techniques of dyeing will find it indispensable. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Richards and Tyrl discuss the science of color and dyeing, the history of natural dyes, dye equipment and processing, and the colors obtained from 158 native North American plant species that are dissected and their parts processed and tested with five mordants. The result is a collection of more than 4,600 dye samples presented in a wealth of color photographs. The authors meticulously describe each of the 158 species and the exact colors various parts of each plant produce, and they identify the experimental conditions that result in little or no dye color. Each entry includes a description of the plant's morphological characteristics, soil requirements, and distribution. The result is a rather technical manual, hence a bit demanding, but readers interested in the techniques of dyeing will find it indispensable.
(Booklist -George Cohen )

About the Author
Lynne Richards is a professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at Oklahoma State University, where she teaches courses in textile design and design history. She is also a textile and fiber artist and the recipient of several awards for her teaching and artistic work.

Ronald J. Tyrl is professor of botany at Oklahoma State University and curator of the university's herbarium. He is an authority on the flora of Oklahoma and author or co-author of many books and articles on toxic plants, grasses, and the state's flora. He has received several awards for his teaching.