Wild Colour: How to Grow, Prepare and Use Natural Plant Dyes by Jenny Dean

This is definately the book I will buy when I finally get to doing my own dyeing, as a fairly environmentally aware gardener and knitter, patchworker and embroiderer the idea of growing and using my own dyes is very appealing and Dean's book is clear and concise.

Dean's book begins with a fascinating introduction on the history of using dyes right back from prehistoric times through the manufacture of synthetic dyes during the industrial revolution to present day forms of dyeing and cloth manufacture.

Then she goes through dyeing techniques, making the bewildering world of equipment, terminology and techniques clear with concise easy to follow text, step by step instructions, illustrations and tables, covering preparations of dye stuffs, types of fibres and preparation for dyeing, mordants, modifiers, and creating a record of your experiments.  Dean emphasises safety and environmental responsibility clearly and concisely.

Thirdly there is an index of dye plants giving the various colours that can be achieved, their source (roots, flowers, barks etc), cultivation and harvest, range, availability, planting and harvesting times, growing habit and processing and dyeing instructions.