The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing: Traditional Recipes for Modern Use

There's several books on natural dyeing available right now, and they probably all have their merits. A lot of them are intended to be easygoing introductions for the amateur; this is nothing to turn your nose up at, because we all start as amateurs and we need that kind of guidance. This book serves a different purpose. This is a compendium of Mr. Liles' careful research with natural dyes and mordants, closely observed and detailed for the adventurous home dyer. Every color of the rainbow on every kind of natural fabric (including cotton, often tricky to dye with natural dyes) is discussed here. If you want a magnificent reference source on natural dyes, something you will never exhaust--pardon the pun--this is the book to get.

This is a book for the serious natural dyer, not the weekend crafter. I really appreciate that Liles explains the chemical reactions occurring in the dye process, and has also done extensive research into 18th and 19th century dyeing methods, often quoting original texts. His recipes are created from his own research and experiments. For these reasons, the book is not always easy to read, and the recipes are quite involved with many steps and nuances. There is a lot of information that could easily overwhelm the novice. This book is great for people wishing to create high-quality, lasting color on a variety of natural fibers. He is very clear about which dyes are light and wash fast, which is important for those wishing to make usable, sellable items.

This is one of the most amazing books I have ever come across. The amount of information on this all but forgotton craft is astonishing, and a tribute to the dogged diligence of the author. As to the dye recipes, every color of the rainbow is brought forth - and the concoctions made solely from nature for producing them - including information on dyeing hard to dye cottons and linens. An amazing guide from this master of natural dyeing.

I have read all the current and out-of-print books on natural dyeing that are available, and I have tried a large number of the "recipes". This is the only book I would recommend. The information is factual, as opposed to annecdotal--a fault most of the others suffer from--and you actually get the colours given, if you follow the steps accurately. It is definitely the best book if you are interested in the classic natural dyes, such as indigo and madder, and it is the only one I have found that gives you a good procedure for Turkey Red! If you use this book, you won't need any others (although they are fun to read!).

This book is a must for anyone studying the history and techniques of natural dyeing. I study as well as teach techniques for historical dyes and this is the only reference that helped me with difficult questions. For example, Liles covers how the roots of the Madder plant can dye orange, red, or brown depending on the temperature of the dye bath, which he provides in great detail. I could never have consistently achiedved that red red without it. Liles give an excellent overview of the evolution of natural dyes from ancient times to modern day. He inludes excellent tables for chemical names, and his advise on disposal of chemicals is excellent and very much appreciated. Liles thoroughly explains the nature of dyes on various fibers and his recipies are fiber specific, although because the recipies are chaptered by color/fiber you sometimes have to look in several different sections to find out everything you may want to know about a specific dye. For natural dyers in the Society for Creative Anachronism and other historical research groups, this book is a must.