Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes

by Rebecca Burgess

Selection of the Crafters’ Choice Book Club Beautiful natural dyes from plants found in the wild or grown in your own backyard.

As more and more crafters are discovering, dyeing your own fabric can yield gorgeous colors. Now master dyer Rebecca Burgess identifies 36 plants that will yield beautiful natural shades and shows how easy it is to make the dyes. Pokeweed creates a vibrant magenta, while a range of soft lavender shades is created from elderberries; indigo yields a bright blue, and coyote brush creates stunning sunny yellows.

Gathering Color explains where to find these plants in the wild (and for those that can be grown in your backyard, how to nurture them) and the best time and way to harvest them; maps show the range of each plant in the United States and Canada. For the dyeing itself, Burgess describes the simple equipment needed and provides a master dye recipe. The book is organized seasonally; as an added bonus, each section contains a knitting project using wools colored with dyes from plants harvested during that time of the year. With breathtaking color photographs by Paige Green throughout, Gathering Color is an essential guide to this growing field, for crafters and DIYers; for ecologists and botanists; and for artists, textile designers, and art students.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Knitting, Nature, Art, Gardening, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2011

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much of the plants in this book are based out west, and as a midwesterner that doesn’t help me much. If it was a more balanced book I would’ve given it 4 stars I think.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! It is full of gorgeous pictures and so much information about natural dyeing. There are plant descriptions, harvesting instructions, dye recipes, resources, etc. There are several plants that are plentiful on our farm, and I'm hoping to plant some of the others in the garden next year. I'm so excited about applying this info when I start learning how to dye yarn. :)

{P.S. There are more plants listed for California and the west coast in general, which was slightly disappointing since I'm in Virginia. But overall, there was a good balance of plants across the US. I did find the occasional old earth philosophy annoying, like mentions of evolution or that a certain plant predates humans by 295 million years or something like that.}

[Carryl Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things I love about this book, particularly the focus on being environmentally conscientious about using mordants (which can be especially bad for at-risk populations like frogs even in small quantities) and the way the plants are listed seasonally. It is full of beautiful color photos and has great information. There were areas the book is not that useful for me because many of the plants don't grow in my area and the focus on knitting doesn't apply to me since I use natural dyes for cloth. The patterns will be nice for knitters who want to showcase their dyed yarns. A lot of the book felt like filler since the information I needed didn't need that many pages, but it's beautiful filler and the parts that don't apply to me will apply to others. This is one of my favorite natural dye books.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very enjoyable read (the first section, that is, before it becomes a reference book). I wasn't expecting to want to read it straight through, but I did. Of course, as should be expected of a dye book, the pictures were lovely and full of rich, pleasant colors. The reference section was tempting to read, too, if only for the beautiful pictures and the daydream of working with each plant. Probably the most unique and best feature of this book among other natural dye books is that each plant is accompanied by a small map of the United States with a colored section showing you where you can expect to find it; super helpful! I hope to own this one one day.

[Carolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content of this book is more for serious fabric dyers than I am. That said, I still found it an interesting read, especially the actual recipe sections. The introduction is a little preachy, but if that doesn't bother you the rest if very readable. One other niggle was that the info sidebars are full page in size, so the continuity of the writing is interrupted by the sidebars.

[Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a first time natural dyer, I found this book to be a good starting point. However, I am now moving beyond this book and into other dyes and other dye books. I do like the seasonal format of the book and the region maps showing where the plants, flower, etc... range. I could easily find what grows in my bioregion(Rocky Mountain region in the USA).

[Myra Scholze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, the photos are gorgeous. I loved how palatable Burgess' passion for natural dyes is, and her reminders to be respectful and sustainable in your art and practice. A great resource for anyone interested in dyeing!

[Dunrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had an adventure this summer and fall gathering local pokeberries to dye wool. It was so much fun. Scouting for the berries transformed my walks this fall and helped me look at the landscape differently.
The instructions for dyeing wool with pokeberries were spot on and very helpful.

[Mel Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, I enjoyed the material.

[Mills College Library]

746.6 B9557 2011

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. I took lots of notes. Rebecca really lays out complex subjects very simply

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good deep dive into specific plants and techniques, might be good to own someday

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty book with lots of good info. She focused on plants native to California/west coast which was not super helpful for me, but that's on me not her.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, and, excited to start working with Natural Dyes!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step 1 in becoming the cottage witch of my dreams.

[julia]

Good for growing the plants for dying

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and provides a straightforward approach to dyeing natural fibers with plant materials. There were a couple layout errors in the text part of the book that bothered me because it appeared some information might have been cut. I loved the inclusion of information on the Navajo dye tradition as well as information on where to find the plant materials (many of which can be found within miles of my house here in California - yay!). I will definitely buy this book for myself. Burgess really knows her stuff and this will be a great reference book to keep around.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only was this a beautiful book to look at, it was very informative. The author used plant materials for dyes that I never would have imagined using. The plant materials are broken down seasonally by when they are blooming and she includes maps so it's easier to see if the plant is in your area. The photos were great for identification and inspiration. This is the best book I've found on natural dying.

[Katie Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book!! I can't wait to get started with the dying. I love that this book lays a good foundation for beginning your dye experiences and provides suggestions for tools and ways to get started and further by exploring and experimenting with your own sourced plants. Plus, I could spend days just pouring over the beautiful images in the book. Job well done!

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I want to own this book. I want a garden of plants and flowers that can be used to safely dye cloth. Burgess give enough information to determine if a particular plant could be cultivated in your area (maps) and thorough instructions for dying yarn but I'm hoping cloth could be used just as well.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don't have the time to dye my own wool, or grand ambitions to do so, this book was a pleasure to read. Aesthetically pleasing, fascinating tidbits about different plant dyes and their uses, and I always find it interesting to see how very different a flower/plant color can be from the end result. A calming retreat from my hectic life...

[Nicolette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for the natural dyer. I love the geographical growth content that'll help me to pinpoint the plants in my geo area. The layout and photography aesthetics are pleasing and very easy to read. While the book is botanical and somewhat technical resource, the writing style makes it interesting and easy to comprehend for even the novice dyer.

[Popcorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has beautiful pictures and great recipes, but I was disappointed to see that many of the materials for the dye baths are only available in California. I would have liked to see less bio-regional discrimination. I want a Midwestern version of this book!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures and information was immaculate and inspiring.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

the general information on natural dyeing was good but most of the plants shown where not in my area

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is very helpful though i do not know how much of this i can do.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative but the majority of the plants were not in my area...

[cb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, full of history and context as well as tips on getting the best dyes you can.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I wish that I had the time and ingredients to make dye and yarn....

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handy book, with beautiful illustrations and instructions.