Natural Dyeing with Plants is an interesting craft book on how to dye mainly wool and silk with plants and also kitchen ingredients.

The book has 10 main chapters starting with a history of dyeing from Roman times using natural ingredients to modern practices using Synthetic dyes.

The Dyeing Studio chapter covers the space needed to work, equipment required and materials needed alongside the dyeing methods such as cold, direct and single bath. All methods come with excellent colour photography to show the steps taken. Another chapter is contains a solar dyeing method which appears to be the simplest method on the book - basically put ingredients and wool in a jar and leave it in the sun for the magic to work. This is one I will be trying out first as it looks to be the simplest method for a beginner.

Six chapters look at the different places dyes can be found, be it garden olants, trees, meadows and kitchen ingredients such as carrots, coffee and onion skins. Again each plant used is given full instructions on how the colour is extracted using the best method. There is also a chapter on exotic dyes that come from insects and special plants such as henna and turmeric.

For each of the plants used, samples of the colours extracted are shown dependent on the material. Also included is what the plant looks like, be it in its natural state or dried

I loved the fact that the colours that take to the material don't always reflect the plant colour. For example the Larkspur is has a blue flower, but the resulting shade is yellow, green and grey depending on the material (wool or silk) and method and red cabbage from the kitchen turns the materials a blue hue.

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I wasn't sure where I would get the starting wools and silks and felt the inclusion of only a handful of projects was disappointing even though those projects were good. I like the fact you can dye eggs and it even shows you how to include leaf patterns on the shells.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

I'm a crafter who tries all sorts of different things, and I thought dying my yarn with plants could be really interesting. I'm glad I picked up this book, because it was very informative, descriptive. There are lots of pictures to help you to understand. Colour samples are amazing. It shows which kind of colours we can expect from different plants. I'm a fan of turning to nature instead of chemicals, so it's a great learning. It has different additional information about dyes, too. It's very suitable for beginners with a bit of history as well. I would definitely recommend it.
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So do you do any fiber work? Knitting, crocheting, weaving, felting, etc? If you do and you have thought about dyeing your own yarn then this is the book you need!!!! No dye is better then what Mother Nature can provide. This book not only tells you how to dye the yarn but gives you detailed instructions on how and why you do it this way. It also provides you with recipes of what you need to have in order to get the color you are wanting. This book has made me want to dye my own yarn, but I would need to get a green thumb (growing the plants and trees) to get the materials unless I was gonna order them. To me that would defeat the whole point of doing a natural dye on your yarn, lol. That is just my own opinion though.

If you are even thinking about dying your own fiber then I highly recommend you read this book on natural dyeing before you even start. The information gathered in the book along with the instructions would prove to be invaluable to you I believe.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I’m a dyer and have been dyeing for many years but this is full of fresh new ideas.

I feel recharged after reading it.

I perfect present for a crafter, especially those interested in eco dyeing.

Great addition to a craft library shelf.

Got this from NetGalley to review, and now, all I want to do is go hang out in the forest and collect plants to dye stuff with. No, really.

Some of the dyestuff mentioned, I already knew about, but this book goes way beyond just the basics. Horsetail and madder and indigo and just about every common wildflower -- it's a staggering amount of information, clearly and accessibly presented.

Moreover, and one of the things I like best, the authors also present some traditional herbalism-related uses for each of the plants, so you're learning more than just how to make fibers pretty.

Clear examples of the results of each dye material are shown, under a variety of conditions, on both wool and silk. (Which are sometimes miles apart in finished results, which I wouldn't have guessed before this.) I'm probably going to want to pick up a physical copy of this thing, just so I can reference back to the examples when I decide to get dyeing.

The end of the book is all about ways to use your newfound dye mastery. There are projects and brief primers for several activities such as spinning or wet felting, with just enough information to let you try things without going too in-depth -- it *is* a book about dyeing, after all.

Definitely one of the best books on the subject that I've seen so far.

Dyeing is a lot like wine making, it turns out. There are two schools of instructions out there.

The first type gives you extremely detailed information and a huge list of products you must purchase and steps you must take. In wine making, this means you need this type of bottle and this type of toppers, this type of yeast (not wild yeast that's already on the grapes or berries! are you mad?), these purchased additions to toss into it, and so on. In fabric dyeing, this means you purchase this type of mordant and you buy your natural plant materials or dried insects and follow these steps with all this equipment. In wine or dyeing, with this type of instructions you are pretty much guaranteed consistent, quality results. And you'd better be prepared to spend a lot of time, money and effort in every batch.

The second school involves using the type of instructions great grandmothers used. In wine making, this means you leave the wild yeasts and you use a recycled jug and maybe a balloon with a pinprick in it. You fiddle and taste, you use raisins and elderberries to adjust the colors and flavors and properties, and you don't add campden tablets to stop it all up because then you're dosing yourself with sulfites. Every time is different and a surprise. It costs next to nothing is a bit of a gamble and adventure.

I was hoping for a plant dyeing book like the second type. I'm cheap and lazy and adventurous. I like experiments and gambles. I like to use what might get tossed out otherwise. I once tie-dyed a onesie blue-gray and hot pink with the soaking water from black beans (first dyed in the black bean soaking water, then to that same water after adding vinegar and turning it shocking pink with an unexpected pH reaction) just because the bean soaking water was such a gorgeous dark purple that it seemed wrong to pour it down the sink (the hot pink color was a complete surprise that happened after I added vinegar to see if it would help set the color later). My oldest daughter and I dyed a whole pot of found skulls and bones from nature walks into a gorgeous deep black-purple from spent elderberries left over from making elderberry juice (this book says not to bother using elderberries for dye because you need too many elderberries and apparently the fabrics will fade).

Most of the dyes used in this book are natural from plants, but they are purchased (though some garden plants and things like purple cabbage are also included). You also need to purchase mordant and go through quite a lot of steps with your fabrics and your dyes to do this right. Reading this book reminded me exactly of why it took me decades to make my first batch of homemade wine and why I absolutely never follow "good" wine making instructions but instead rely on old time recipes or foraging forums.

It turns out that I am both too cheap and too lazy for this type of plant dyeing. I'm absolutely sure that experienced dyers will love this book. It's full of photos and information, including very thorough history of dyes. It's just not the sort of book to pick up if you're *not* an experienced dyer who wants to spend a lot of time, money and effort doing it the precise way and just wanted to play with plant dyes with your children.

I've dabbled with dyeing fibers but I'm no expert. This book is one of the best I've seen because the information is so thorough and accessible. I can imagine this book being a valuable resources for dyers at any knowledge level. It first has a brief history of dyeing, which while admittedly Eurocentric - no info here on the development of dyeing outside Europe at all - is interesting. Then the authors teach you about the equipment you'll need to set up for dyeing, fabric and fiber types, how to wash and prepare items for dyeing, what mordants are and how to use them, info about dyes themselves and how they work, basic recipe formulas you should be able to adapt to other dyes, a little bit on growing your own plants for natural dyes, a huge index of plants and how they look when used as dyes, and a few craft patterns for inspiration. They've really included a lot of helpful information in this book.

The biggest section of the book contains detailed info on dyes from various plants. Each plant is given a two-page spread with information and lots of helpful pictures showing (usually) wool and silk yarn dyed with plant dye. For example, the page for meadowsweet tells you a little about where it grows and its properties. There's detailed recipe information, too. To me, the pictures are really helpful because you can get an idea of what range of colors is possible for each dye. It depends on the dye, but usually each one is shown with wool and silk, each with 3-4 examples of hot and cold dyeing techniques and different mordants. I like that they give the scientific names for the plants, too, since common names can vary so much from place to place. For many of the plants, the authors also mention some non-dye uses of the plants such as tea/tisane and cleaning products. Also, there are a few non-plant-based dyes in the book such as cochineal. It's useful info even though it doesn't match the title of the book.

This book contains a wealth of information about using natural dyes, mostly plants. It would be a great addition to any dyer's library.

I received a copy from Schiffer Publishing Ltd. through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been dyeing yarn for a few years now and love dyeing with household items such as Kool-aid, tea, and coffee. This book caught my eye because I've been interested in dyeing yarn with flowers, so of course I was excited to read it and learn something new. There are several recipes for dying with a variety of plants along with preparation and dyeing instructions. In addition to this, the history behind each plant is provided as well as beautiful pictures of the different plants and various results that one can get dyeing fibers. I also enjoyed learning more ways to prepare fibers for dyeing as well as more ways to dye, such as cold dyeing.

The opening of the book is all about the history of dyeing and the popular plants that were used to dye and obtain various colors. I loved that this was included because history is another one of my soft spots, so this part of the book certainly peaked my interest. There is also instructions and pictures on ecoprinting, dyeing Easter eggs, and felting.

I'm full of inspiration after reading this book and I will start collecting plants and such so that I can start natural dyeing yarn. It's certainly a beautiful book that's full of information for the hobbyist as well as professional dyers who want to get into natural dyeing, so it's a wonderful book to have in one's collection. I love that it also encourages its readers to get in touch with other natural dyers as well as making people look at gardens in a new way.

Great book on fiber dying. There are so many great recipes and examples. The authors went above and beyond to share their knowledge. I used the principles in this book to dye some wool with black beans. I am super happy with the results!

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

This is an absolutely fantastic book, very informative, with really useful details which will certainly achieve success in dyeing with plant.. I do a bit of dyeing, but mainly on cotton, which as is explained I this book, is extremely hard to achieve good, colourfastness results with plants. (Being in Australia I use gum leaves which tend to be a little better in that matter)
Having said that, this is the perfect book for wool and silk, and there is lot of room for experimentation with mordants, method and plants. The results can be beautiful .and sometimes unexpected , which makes it all a great adventure from growing, picking, timing to final product.
This book would very much suit a beginner or anyone that just want more information to add to their repertoire .

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This book title was very intriguing to me because I am a knitter and have long considered dying my own yarn. I have sensitive skin, so natural, plant based dyes make sense for me. The authors of this book include dye recipes, and beautiful color photos of the plants used and the dye outcomes based on different variables. The book includes an interesting history of dyes and gives practical advice for dyeing beginners. In addition to plants and herbs, there is also a section of items that can be found in the supermarket or your kitchen. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in hand dyeing items with natural plant based dyes. This book is suitable for a beginner.

This is a lovely-to-look at book. I really like the many images of how various dyes look on different fibers and with different dying techniques. Lovely.

I received a digital copy through Netgalley for review.

I've loved natural dyeing since I took a course on it in college.
Something about being able to craft lovely colors from just the plants in your yard and a few items you'll find sitting on most days in your pantry and refrigerator is really magical.
I was excited to be able to get a copy of Natural Dyeing with Plants: Glorious Colors from Roots, Leaves & Flowers by Franziska Ebner- it completely demystifies the natural dyeing process.

Breaking down everything from treating your fibers before hand, to the different processing of mordants, to what each option of dyestuff will produce in which bath (no mordant, alum, cold, cold with iron) on both wool and silks (sometime other fibers as well). How much dye stuff is needed and how to proceed. How to adjust the ph balance of you dye bath if needed.
Everything is easily written down for you, photographs provided, color varieties shown, what the plants looks like, the different names it goes under. How to dry your plant stuff if you are harvesting your own.
So many colors just outside your doors and at your finger tips.
I am really impressed by this, it cleared up so many questions I've had when other natural dying books had failed me. I can't wait to get started on some of these color recipes in the coming months.

Very efficiently presented with practical layout, colorful photographs, and an almost complete disregard for non-European based natural dyeing methods and ingredients.This should have been titled <i>Natural Dyeing With Plants for Central Europe.</i>

Very thorough, almost encyclopedic, with detailed instructions on dyeing materials, suggestions for Central European gardening, and a textbook-like dryness (perhaps due to being translated into formal English)..

Mixed feelings on this book. Recommended for those who enjoy dyeing and have some experience.