ISBN - 9780954440107

(0954440102)

Jill Goodwin, a spinner and dyer for over fifty years and well respected for her knowledge of dye plants and her work with woad, published A Dyer’s Manual in 1982.

For many years she had experimented with plants from the garden and farm hedgerows, but good blues had been elusive. She began growing woad in 1962 but could not find a domestic recipe for extracting the colour. Before the easy age of internet enquiry she checked references in old books, tried with different mordants and temperatures, talked to whoever showed an interest until she came up with some recipes. This ethos of trial and error experimentation is encouraged throughout the book.

Her passion for plants is very evident as the chart and lists at the back of the book are extensive and a helpful quick reference for those wishing to know which plants to try and with which mordant. Also there is considerable information about historical and worldwide dyeplants and dyeing methods.

Contents include – Fibres, mordants, test dyeing, indigo, woad, weld, madder, lichens, ancient dyes, dyeing with weeds, dyes from the garden, dyeing in schools, and using dyed fibres.

Dye samples by Jenny Goodwin 2012