The Modern Natural Dyer: A Comprehensive Guide to Dyeing Silk, Wool, Linen, and Cotton at Home

by Kristine Vejar

Kristine Vejar’s The Modern Natural Dyer is a comprehensive guide to dyeing silk, wool, linen, and cotton at home.

“A terrific primer for anyone new to the technique. Kristine walks you through the ins and outs of the process.” —Magnolia Network, formerly DIY Network

Thousands of natural materials can produce glorious color—the insect cochineal produces pink, maroon, and purple, and more than 500 species of plants produce indigo blue. Now, in The Modern Natural Dyer , expert Kristine Vejar shares the most user-friendly techniques for dyeing yarn, fabric, and finished goods at home with foraged and garden-raised dyestuffs as well as with convenient natural dye extracts.

With stunning photography of the dyes themselves, the dyeing process, and 20 projects for home and wardrobe (some to knit, some to sew, and some just a matter of submerging a finished piece in a prepared bath) by Sara Remington, The Modern Natural Dyer is a complete resource for aspiring and experienced dye artisans. Projects Demystifying the “magic,” Vejar explains in explicit, easy-to-follow detail how to produce consistent, long-lasting color. She writes, “The beauty of being a modern natural dyer is that there are so many types of dyes and dyeing available to you. There’s so much to explore, but you don’t need anything but curiosity to begin.”

If you want to add your own color to your next project, then you, too, want to be a modern dyer!

“Vejar’s lovely book is very sophisticated and detailed.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)

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

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2015

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of good information in this book, particularly about indigo dyeing and some attractive projects. This book discusses the use of natural dyes that provide vibrant colors. In many areas the only way to use these dyes would to purchase materials so it may not be suitable for someone who wants to grow or forage for their dyes.

The safety aspects of the book bothered me a little bit. There were several pictures of dyed fibers and fabric being handled with bare hands and there were a lot of general recommendations to dispose of dye and mordant mixtures down the drain. It is a good practice even when using food grade dyes with mordants to wear gloves because mordants can irritate skin and even if the dyes are edible, people can have allergic reactions to them especially when they are in concentrated form. Also, I think it is find to dispose of most of these dye and mordant solutions down the drain if you are connected to a municipal sewer system, that may not be the case if you have a septic system or some other type of waste water treatment system.

[Célèste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that I bought this primarily because the photo on the cover is so lovely, and the photos throughout don't disappoint. It's all very inspiring, and I got a good sense of how to use each ingredient (whether from whole dyestuff or extract) to give a range of colors on both protein and cellulose fibers. A person could go a long way with this and no other reference book. The actual projects are less inspiring than the spreads on the dyestuff, but I supposed there's a certain audience that expects that sort of thing.

What I learned: Cochineal bugs live on cactus. Iron can be too rough for protein fibers. Black walnut husks can create a shade of pink. Logwood, when concentrated enough, can read as black. Pomegranate can create yellows and greens. Cabbage isn't the only dyestuff that can give radically different results depending on the dyebath pH.

[julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has photos of all the different colors by tsp of dye added. Also has projects

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular. Everything you need to know to get started natural dyeing, even if like me you've never dyed anything before. Clear instructions on not just the how but the why, covering what natural dyes there are, how they work, how to choose and prepare fiber for dyeing and how to set up your dyeing "studio". GORGEOUS. Sections on dyeing with whole dyestuffs, extracts, indigo. and doing surface designs, packed with 20 beautiful projects to guide you in learning the skills presented, but also with everything you need to design your own projects or change the projects to suit your taste. Really helpful shade cards to help you adjust the extract "recipes" to your color preferences. Projects include not only yarn dyeing with knitting patterns for using the yarn but also fabric dyeing and attendant sewing patterns and one quilt pattern, plus a number of whole garment dyeing projects that start with a blank and no sewing or knitting required. There's even a project that dyes yarn and fabric together, becoming a top with sewn and knitted panels. The skill level of all the knitted projects are pretty basic, although there is a cardigan pattern that's a bit more involved. I know absolutely nothing about sewing so I'm not sure I can judge the difficulty of those projects. I can't wait to get started!

[Sherry]

This book was very instructive on the different techniques that are combined to be successful at dying with natural substances, whether you start with raw materials you collect yourself, extracts you order from a supplier, or anywhere in between.

The author has done the hard work of trying all the combinations of methods, and providing clear sets of instructions for you to 'choose your own adventure' in natural dying. In addition to providing the component steps of dying, the author has included some interesting and attractive project to inspire you to put the techniques to the test.

Good read, and very inspiring. Also, this book is beautifully photographed, printed, and bound. Great gift idea for the adventurous craftsperson in your life.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to learn how to dye fabric, yarn, thread, and ribbon using natural dyes forever. The Modern Natural Dyer took it a step further for me and combined the skill of dying with my love of the garden! Chocked full of plants, how to tutorials and plants to add to your garden. An added benefit for a visual learner like me is the photographs are simply stunning. A big thank you to Kristine Vejar for teaching me the age-old art of natural dyes and giving me some flower suggestions that I would have never thought of adding to my garden before!

[Sarah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had really great information about dying yarn and material/fabric. I'm going to put this on my read again in the future list because right now I don't have the time, space or financial resources to try out most of these techniques but in the future I would really like to when the time is right. When I do this will be my go to book. She gives lots of information to help you do it without making a mess or working with unnecessary supplies or steps. Everything is easy to understand and nothing was confusing to me. Lots of colored pictures.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dyeing with natural dyes is a science that I don't understand. Vejar breaks it down into more simple terms which make sense. Many of the plants can't be found in New Zealand, it's more specific to the Northern hemisphere. However, she provides a good and easy to understand method of dyeing using general guidelines which I think could be applied to many different dyes. I love the styling too.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to keep on hand as a guide for natural dying, but not very practical in terms of resources of where to find some of the materials (even if the book is global and this is info that changes by region, it'd be helpful if the author says where they find some of their supplies or how they store them for the future).

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up not reading most of the patterns or dye instructions as I don't plan to go crazy with dyeing anytime soon

But everything was super comprehensive and I look forward to trying some of the projects. I just would've liked a section on how to dye different things outside of the projects. Something a little more customizable

I do plan to buy this

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few of these volumes at this point, but this is the one I'd come back to for projects, simply because it is so user-friendly. It's well organized, visually appealing, and immensely effective.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look I haven't read any of this yet but it gets 5 stars for the aesthetic ALONE. These pictures are everything I aspire to, let's be honest. I love that they include the plants/parts of the plant used for dyeing alongside dyed samples. *chef's kiss*

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous photographs and projects. Less of an emphasis on the actual dyeing and more on what to use your dyed materials for. But probably the most beautiful dye book I've looked at; extremely artistic.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great review of the basics - one to go back to when wanting to work on some projects.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific, down-to-earth, and full of color inspiration.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library, and definitely think I need to buy it and begin dyeing things asap.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and comprehensive instructions, top-notch photography, overall very useful resource

[Carie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good basic book to introduce a person to dying with natural products as well as some cute projects to get you motivated!

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good breadth and depth, with lots of specific instructions. This would be a good first dyeing book for me to buy.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

TBH I can't see myself ever doing any of this. But I find it interesting, and I'd like to imagine that I some future self will be dyeing textiles and be crafty AF

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent intro to natural dyeing! Easy to follow and very informative of the history and process. I'm hooked now.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos. I love the Dyes from Nature chapter. The projects don't particularly appeal to me. American-centric advice re plants and supplies.

[Myrrh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good general info on dying with easy to follow instructions and beginner friendly projects. Uses commercially available natural dyes and extracts.

[Bailey Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I learned so much more than just how to make natural dyes! It's so informative, and contains spectacular, vibrant photos. The layout is perfect. Kristine Vejar covers the types of dye, where they come from, and how to get different hues in such great detail. And then, there are a ton of specific projects with recipes and patterns. I'm so impressed! I checked it out from the library, but I will definitely be adding it to my personal book shelf!

[lemonsmol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to natural dying. It has a good amount of information and includes a number of interesting and practical projects to try. It is easy to read and understand and I think it would be a good way for anyone to try dying for the first time. It is also a very beautifully photographed book.

4/5 as I did not try any of the included projects so do not know how they would turn out. I also, personally, would prefer a natural dying book that contains mostly technical details and know how with less focus on specific projects. I would recommend Wild Color as a better reference book for natural dying.

[Adelaide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive; would have loved more information about the environmental impact

[Celeste]

While a basic useful guide to the process of natural dying, I was disappointed in the limited range of dye materials discussed. It suffers in comparison to "Wild Color" by Jenny Dean and "A Dyer's Garden" by Rita Buchanan. I was somewhat irritated by several references to "if you use these two colors, you get green" - but there were no pictures of anything resulting from such a process! I would have been nice to have that to compare to dyestuffs that I have found that produce green on their own.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gives a really helpful overview about dyeing naturally. There isn't a ton of really specific recipes for making your own dyes from plants, but rather an outline of the procedure. There is also a good portion of the book devoted to dyeing using dye extracts, which wasn't what I was going for, but I'm sure it'd be useful if I wanted to try that down the road.

[Carolyn Li-Madeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely book and amazing resource. I love the focus on utilizing noxious weeds as dye materials and can't wait to dig into some of the projects more deeply. I'd highly recommend this book to beginning dyers!