Color by Accident

This is a must-have book for those beginning their fabric dyeing journey. Get this one along with her other book Color by Design and begin creating beautiful fabrics for your fiber art. Easy to read, excellent explanations and formulas for dye concentrates. The book describes many techniques that lead to various looks in the fabric. Must have!!!!

I have read and used many books for hand dyeing fabrics. Color By Accident by Ann Johnston is of extremely high quality. It is written much like a cookbook, with clear measures, clear directions and ample support for further creativity. This is not a tie-dyeing manual. It will help the ardent fabric dyer create wonderful materials usable for any type of sewing project. And it is an excellent introduction for those who have never tried this process and don't know where to begin. It is fully resourced, providing information on obtaining everything you will need to proceed.

If you have ever wanted a definitive resource on alternative dyeing technique using Procion dyes, this is it! Ann Johnston is the authority on dyeing with these fiber-reactive dyes, and here she gives the basis for the type of dyeing that is so popular today: low-water immersion dyeing. She teaches the method using many different recipes which are revolutionary; at least to me they were! Going through the recipes, the reader will learn how to apply these same techniques using other color combinations. Most unique was the layered-dyeing technique called "parfait", which yields three different-colored fabrics from the SAME dyepot. Incredible! All in all, this was just the book I'd hoped it would be, and then some. I've been using it now for about four years, and not once have I been disappointed with the results of my fabrics. For those interested in regular vat dyeing and direct application techniques, she also give basic instructions and recipes for these, too. This book will hook you into dyeing for good!

The author introduces her technique of dyeing with little water. She provides everything a complete beginner needs: from materials, to tools, to step-by-step instructions. It's a great book if you dye small pieces or if you like the patterned effect her technique creates on larger pieces. If you want a uniform color on your clothes, however, her technique may not work. So, it's a wonderful book for quilters who want to create unique pieces but need not reproduce them exactly at a later point. In fact, the book cover itself shows beautifully the results of her technique.

This is an excellent book for someone just starting out dyeing fabrics. The techniques are simple and easy to do. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to dye their own fabrics and need a good how-to-book.