Dyeing and Painting Books

Beginner's Guide to Silk Painting
by Mandy Southan
ISBN 085532802-9
Copyright 1997, Reprinted 1998, 1999
Seems to assume a certain level of basic knowledge, but she has some fun projects plus excellent photos of the techniques that she shows.

Color by Accident: Low-Water Immersion Dyeing
by Ann Johnston
ISBN 0-9656116-0-5
Copyright 1997 by Ann Johnston
Fabric dyeing aimed more at quilters with more information about color theory than most dye books. The back of the book has a useful FAQ section.

Color by Design: Paint and Print with Dye
by Ann Johnston
ISBN 0-9656166-1-3
Copyright 2001 by Ann Johnston
A very good basics book that has different technique application methods that I haven't seen in other books.

Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design
by Jane Dunnewold
ISBN 1-56477-149-0
Copyright 1996 by Jane Dunnewold
Dyeing is just one of the techniques covered in this book. A good overview book.

The Dyer's Companion
by Dagmar Klos
ISBN 1-931499-51-9
Copyright 2004 by Dagmar Klos
An excellent flip book that explains the basics well. A nice feature of this book is the Troubleshooting section.

Dyeing in Plastic Bags
by Helen Deighan
ISBN 0-9540333-1-0
Copyright 2001 Helen Deighan
Another good book for the beginner, though the title is a little misleading since she has other containers mentioned in her book. She even explains what overdyeing is - which a lot of dye books don't explain.

Fabric Painting and Dyeing for the Theatre
by Deborah M. Dryden
ISBN 0-435-08624-3
Copyright 1993 by Deborah M. Dryden
An overview book of different surface decoration techniques. Aimed at mostly the theatre crowd, it has valuable how-to information in it.

Hands on Dyeing
by Betsy Blumenthal and Kathryn Kreider
ISBN 0-934026-36-X
Copyright 1988 by Betsy Blumenthal and Kathryn Kreider
Aimed more at dyeing yarn, they do have several interesting projects plus a section on how to do stitch resist using a sewing machine. Some of the stitch resist methods look somewhat like shibori techniques.

Katazome: Japanese Paste-Resist Dyeing for Contemporary Use
by Kumiko Murashima
ISBN 0-937274-72-0
Copyright 1993 by Lark Books
Japanese stencil technique that can get you the crisp lines for detail work.

Magic Dyeing Made Easy
by Helen Deighan
ISBN 0-9540333-3-7
Copyright 2003 by Helen Deighan
If you can't find the Shibori book, then you'll be able to find this one in quilt stores and maybe other local bookstores. Instructions are well explained, and I wish I had found this book first when I started. Several of the techniques overlap those found in the Shibori book.

Marbling Fabrics for Quilts: A Guide for Learning & Teaching
by Kathy Fawcett and Carol Shoaf
ISBN 0-89145-971-5
Copyright 1991 by Kathy Fawcett & Carol Shoaf
Aimed at quilters, marbling can give some interesting looks to material. They even give a suggested syllabus for teaching a one-, two-, or multi-day course.

Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing
A Practical Guide with Over 150 Recipes
by Rita J. Adrosko
ISBN 0-486-22688-3
Copyright 1971 by Dover Publications, Inc.
Includes historical background information as well as recipes.

Natural Plant Dyes
by Judith V. Hallett
ISBN 0-86417-438-1
Copyright 1992 by Kangaroo Press Pty Ltd
Simple directions that are easy to follow and get you going in the right direction. In the back of the book, a table shows what colors you get when you add a different metallic mordant to it. Her safety information is buried more than I prefer, and she keeps writing about dyeing wool skeins - not fabric.

Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing - Tradition Techniques Innovation
by Yoshiko Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice, and Jane Barton
ISBN 0-87011-559-6
ISBN4-7700-1063-X C0072 Y13000E (in Japan)
Copyright in Japan 1983
This is the ultimate book on Shibori dyeing techniques. I found it in a used bookstore for $85. Other people report paying $125. Recently, a paperback version with fewer color photographs has recently come out for $45. This book has background information, lots of inspirational photographs, and decent instructions, so you can learn how to do shibori. Recommended by Carole Parker.

Surface Design for Fabric
Richard M. Proctor and Jennifer F. Lew
ISBN 0-295-96087-6
Copyright 1984 by the University of Washington Press
They give several resist recipes, but I did not see a sizing recipe in here when I gave the book a quick skim. They do cover dye technqiues, so people should be able to select what works best for them.

Page maintained by Carole Parker