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Botanical Colour at your Fingertips
Do you love plants? Do you love crafting? Would you like to dye your own fabric, yarn or clothing?Learn the relaxing art of botanical dyeing with natural dyer, Rebecca Desnos. Connect with nature and open your eyes to the colour potential of plants.Discover how • produce a wide palette of colours, including pink from avocados, yellow from pomegranates and coral from eucalyptus leaves.• extract dye from just about any plant from the kitchen, garden or wild.• use the ancient method of soya milk mordanting to achieve rich and long-lasting colour on plant fibres, such as cotton and linen.• produce reliable colours that withstand washing and exposure to light.If you enjoy sewing, knitting or any other fibre craft, this is the book for you.
106 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2016
13 people are currently reading
414 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 8, 2019
Amazing little book: I read it cover-to-cover in one afternoon and am SO EXCITED to begin my new adventures in botanical dying.
This seems to be the perfect book to get started in dying with the magic of plants, using soya mylk, an aluminium pot and natural tannins as mordants. I have been following the author on Instagram for ages, and she definitely has loads of experience experimenting. Using her hard-won lessons/techniques seems to be the best way to get up and going. It reads partially like a recipe book, giving clear, concise instructions that can easily be followed. In a craft that is all about trying stuff out and discovering what local variations exist and how different plants turn out, this little volume should lead to greater successes.
If you are looking for an incredibly intense book with tons of background knowledge, different techniques from all over the world and/or the use of powdered metal mordants, I would try India Flint’s “Eco Colour”. If, however, you want to get started asap and/or don’t want to make the process any more physically aggravating than necessary, this is a fabulous little treasure to keep forever on my/your shelves.
This seems to be the perfect book to get started in dying with the magic of plants, using soya mylk, an aluminium pot and natural tannins as mordants. I have been following the author on Instagram for ages, and she definitely has loads of experience experimenting. Using her hard-won lessons/techniques seems to be the best way to get up and going. It reads partially like a recipe book, giving clear, concise instructions that can easily be followed. In a craft that is all about trying stuff out and discovering what local variations exist and how different plants turn out, this little volume should lead to greater successes.
If you are looking for an incredibly intense book with tons of background knowledge, different techniques from all over the world and/or the use of powdered metal mordants, I would try India Flint’s “Eco Colour”. If, however, you want to get started asap and/or don’t want to make the process any more physically aggravating than necessary, this is a fabulous little treasure to keep forever on my/your shelves.
January 29, 2018
This is a beautiful book with lots of pictures and great instructions for natural dying. I was inspired by it, and felt afterwards that this kind of dying might not be quite as daunting as it seems!
March 5, 2021
I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about dyeing with avocado skins and seeds. The book has as many pages with photographs as it has with text, which makes it attractive as well as instructive. It taught me a few things I didn't know yet about dyeing and I am especially happy to have learned it can be done without the chemicals I learned to use when I first started dyeing thirty or forty years ago. I will reread this book and I will do some dyeing again.
February 26, 2020
Ok, I need everyone to start saving me their avocado pits, peels, and pomegranate peels!
The book is a quick read and made me feel empowered to start natural dyeing. The author breaks down the very short list of supplies and the initial steps into easy-to-navigate chunks. Plus, I just loved the imagery she included in the book.
The book is a quick read and made me feel empowered to start natural dyeing. The author breaks down the very short list of supplies and the initial steps into easy-to-navigate chunks. Plus, I just loved the imagery she included in the book.
March 5, 2021
Somewhere between 3.5-4. Quick read, took me under 40 minutes. It provides a pretty good introduction to plant dyeing without being overwhelming. Combined with some rudimentary googling this would certainly be enough to plant dye. My favourite thing was the approach to dyeing, to enjoy the slowness of the process.
February 23, 2021
As someone with no clue about natural dying of clothes and fabrics in general this book is perfect! I learnt so much just on the first read and feel confident I can get started in my trials of fabric dying immediately!! Looking forward to dropping back into it to follow along with the tutorials!
June 6, 2025
Una maravilla introductoria al uso de tintes vegetales: botánica, química, etc. La única pega que encuentro es que usa la dicotomía natural/artificial para determinar si algo es saludable o no (sobre todo en el tema de los mordientes).
March 30, 2018
This is an easy to read book that contains just enough, clear info to get started yourself. Love it.
July 16, 2018
Very clear explanations on how to dye with "everyday" plants that are found easily. This book is exactly what I expected it to be.
May 21, 2019
Three words: useful and beautiful
July 14, 2020
Next quarantine project...!
Giving only 4 stars since I haven’t tried the techniques yet ;)
Giving only 4 stars since I haven’t tried the techniques yet ;)
January 25, 2022
This is such a simple, clear, well-written guide for all us natural dye enthusiasts!
July 6, 2023
Highly accessible and detailed guide to dyeing with plants and using natural mordants instead of alum. Also contains safety tips.
February 25, 2024
Comprehensive, helpful, to the point and nicely written with solid photo evidence of the author’s methods
October 13, 2024
She doesn’t use traditional techniques or mordants. Old school people don’t consider her work true dying.
June 19, 2023
Botanical Colour at your Fingertips is an awesome introduction to natural dyes. The book provides straightforward and accessible information on essential processes, while also making it clear that dyeing can be dynamic and personalized rather than rigid. The language used is simple and concise, with excellent formatting to support readability such as a good-sized font, well-spaced text, and bulleted/numbered lists. The chosen pictures are beautiful, perfectly support the text, and are well-labeled when needed.
For someone who is interested and new to natural dyes, but is concerned about the complexity, this book is an excellent entry point to break down some of the possible perceived daunting barriers.
Last finished 4/23/2022. Rating assigned 5/8/2022.
For someone who is interested and new to natural dyes, but is concerned about the complexity, this book is an excellent entry point to break down some of the possible perceived daunting barriers.
Last finished 4/23/2022. Rating assigned 5/8/2022.
December 2, 2018
I’m a gardener who has taken some classes in botanical dying but the mordants were a sticking point for me to actually dye. The use of soy as a mordant and how to use it was great! I’m hoping to do some dying with kids next summer in the garden.
I do wish there were more detail about different plants and which colors they yield
I do wish there were more detail about different plants and which colors they yield
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews