By Susan Eshelman

The "Guide to Dye Plants" offers an exceptional collection of information, painstakingly gathered over the years. Click on image (book is now gone) for CD info

From coreopsis to woad, from purple basil to marjoram, it?s all in here. Each 2-page write-up about a dye plant has a color strip on the right hand page showing what your approximate result might be.

By Gwen Fereday

This new book is a manual for the textile artist who wants to avoid the strong chemicals of industrial dyeing, sustain natural plant sources, and achieve the expected results. Good, clear information for handling the material to be dyed, the dye stuff, and the peripheral chemicals and tools for a successful dye project fill the first sections. The main content of the manual are the full-page color swatch wrappings opposite a page of simple recipes for each swatch based on the information from the first section. The swatches are presented in color groups and fiber type: animal fibers, cotton (plant) fibers. Experienced dyers will find this layout very clear and usable. Beginner dyers will find plenty of inspiration for learning the techniques and achieving the desired colors. This would be a great starting point for a guild work group.

By Betsy Blumenthal and Kathryn Kreider. It's easy! It's fun! Colors appear before your eyes - the colors you want for the projects you have in mind. Dyeing your own yarn or fabric gives you creative control.

Weaver's Gardenby Rita Buchanan. Valuable hints from a veteran botanist and weaver on dyeing fibers and fabrics, what soap plants to use for cleaning textiles, advice on fragrant plants to scent and protect fabrics, plant materials to use as tools, suggestions for planning and creating a garden featuring cotton, flax, indigo, and much more. Includes glossary, pronunciation guide and an abundance of illustrations. An informative and inspiring volume for weavers, gardeners, textile artists, and craftspeople.

By Vivien Prideaux

The art of indigo dyeing dates back thousands of years: examples were found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, and there are references to its use in the Bible. Vivien Prideaux's passion for this craft began one 'wonderful day' many years ago when she discovered: 'just the most exiting dyeing process, with terrific results, that has continued to exite my imagination ever since.'

Here she shares her expertise as a dyer and her mastery of shibori fabric resist techniques, showing how a huge variety of wonderful effects can be produced by folding, stitching, binding and clamping fabric before dyeing.

COLORWORKS by Deb Menz

We all love color - its boundless array of hues dazzles our eyes, expresses our moods, and enriches our very lives. Thanks to Deb Menz, master teacher and author of the highly respected book Color in Spinning (Interweave Press, 1998), you can now explore colors with confidence in whatever craft medium you call your favorite. This is the first book to bring the principles of color theory down to a practical level and apply them to knitting, spinning, weaving, surface design (including stenciling and rubber stamping), hand- and machine-embroidery, beadwork, quilting, and paper collage. Basic color concepts are presented in sections on color description, values, contrasting and complementary colors, warm and cool colors, undertones, using color relationships, and much more. But the real treat is seeing a dynamic palette of color harmonies worked up in each medium! This approach is invaluable for mixed-media artists or those who simply dabble in more than one craft. Also included is a pull-out color wheel and a very handy section of hue cards in perforated format that are easy to remove and use for planning, matching, and shopping for supplies. If understanding color is the bridge to creative expression, how did we ever live without this book?

by Tracy Kendall. This book is for anyone who wants to create a unique textile or yarn to use in quilting, home furnishings, embroidery, knitting or crochet.

By Jane Dunnewold

Innovative surface-design techniques combine dyeing, bleaching, painting, stamping, and stenciling to create rich, visually complex fabrics.