Product Description

For the many people who love hand-dyed fabrics but think they are too difficult to make, Vimala McClure presents an easy to do technique that is convenient and gentle on the pocketbook. The author says, 'I use methods that are simple to understand and that can be broken down into steps to be completed on separate days.' Because her dyeing process is done in small batches, there is minimal mess to clean up. Worked in small jars or a plastic bin, luminous fabrics with exciting patterns can be made in a total of two to three hours. Using widely available dye products, which are listed in the resources section, the author provides dye recipes for mixing batches of 12 different colors or, for more variety, 24 colors. She shows how to make intriguing color mixtures, single-color gradations and multiple color gradations. With a cookbook approach and step by step photos, the author demonstrates tie dyeing, Shibori-like dyeing, fold dyeing, and overdyeing, each method illustrated with examples of wonderful fabric swatches and quilt blocks. She also describes how to make simple stencils for sponging or spraying to add pizzazz to any fabric. AUTHORBIO: "Quilting gave me a creative outlet when I was raising my children. Each quilt I made fueled my creative fire. Soon I was making 3 and 4 quilts at a time." Today Vimala McClure writes and inspires creativity. It is her mission to promote creative quiltmaking. REVIEW: McClure approaches the somewhat daunting prospect of chemicals, rubber gloves, and stained sinks wi th enthusiasm, but also with practical sense. She knows that busy women need ways to fit these processes into their other responsibilities, and so breaks the processes up into small, manageable pieces that can be done over several days....The technical details are nicely balanced by photos of many styles of quilts that make use of hand=dyed fabrics.- Planet Patchwork Brookbriefs No. 20

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #219183 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 80 pages

Customer Reviews

Great reference for beginner
This book is an excellent reference for beginners. It treats the subject like a cookbook, walking you step by step through each "recipe" so you can proceed with confidence.

I especially recommend this book for quilters and stitchers who want to know enough to get the desired results for their projects without drowning in more information than they need.

Inspiring yet practical
Fabric dyeing is one of those things that appeals to our primitive finger-painting urges. It's messy, colorful, and very satisfying. Vimala McClure's book for beginners, which grew originally from a popular magazine article, is just the ticket if you've been contemplating giving this a try. McClure approaches the somewhat daunting prospect of chemicals, rubber gloves, and stained sinks with enthusiasm, but also with practical sense. She knows that busy women need ways to fit these processes into their other responsibilities, and so breaks the processes up into small, manageable pieces that can be done over several days. Several different dyeing techniques are explored, including pickle-jar, fabric-fold, tie-dye, and stencil methods. The technical details are nicely balanced by photos of many styles of quilts that make us of hand-dyed fabrics.

Great for 1st time dyers & those looking for a refresher
This is a terrific new book on dyeing fabric. If you've ever thought about trying to dye your own fabric but were afraid of the mess or complicated steps involved, read this book and try out the recipes. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy, fun, and relatively mess-free it can be.

Vimala gives clear, step-by-step info on "pickle dyeing" in small quantities and with a minimum of space and mess, as well as info on tie dyeing, stencilling, and fold dyeing. The steps are well illustrated and several samples of each technique are shown. In addition, a gallery of Vimala's quilts, which use fabrics she's created, is in the back of the book.

I'll admit to being biased. I made two of the samples used in the book - it was great fun having a chance to play with Vimala's fabrics and dream up ways to show them off. Also, I own two of Vimala's quilts. The fabrics she created for those quilts is splendiferous as are the quilts themselves (Sarasvati is one of the most amazing pieces of artwork I've seen). One of the methods I've used for dyeing my own fabric is a variation on Vimala's pickle dyeing.

Even though I'm an experienced dyer, I plan on spending some time going through the recipes in the book and "cooking up" some fabrics using the techniques Vimala beautifully describes. While I don't expect to abandon my Ann Johnston books on dyeing, this book certainly can share the shelf with them.