A Beginner's Guide to Dyeing and Sewing

This is a basic guide to using the type of chemical dyes you can buy in liquid or powder form, not the natural variety you make yourself. As the author comments you need a garden plus plenty of space and time to create these, so why not have fun with the commercially available, modern type? I have dabbled a little with these dyes and formerly had a washing machine with a purple rubber seal to prove it. With these easy to follow instructions you can have better luck, and discover what fabrics work best, what to use when and how to get the best results. Pages are well laid out with direct advice, often making good use of captioned photographs and it is easy to find the relevant section for what you want to do. As well as an introduction showing what you need and giving basic information there are twelve lessons and twenty-one projects. The lessons are all about creating effects and each takes up a page so you can discover how to dip-dye, tie dye, use a spray, work with wool and more. Some of the photographs could do with being slightly larger, but the short captions make it all pretty obvious. Before this there is a section which deals with dyeing by hand, in the washing machine and even in the microwave. This tells you clearly the parts the packets sometimes leave out or make less clear (hence that purple rubber) and all three of these methods are further expanded on in the projects section. These projects often involve basic sewing techniques and show simple ways (often with diagrams) of upcycling existing items or making from scratch a number of items. Turn old jeans into a bag with the addition of dye and some leather, dup-dye and add fancy cuffs to a long-sleeved white T-shirt, make a scarf, zipper bag and even a dress with just basic materials. Or you can merely dye things and create a tie-dyed towel, a set of matching placemats or liven up an old cushion cover. A well worded book like this shows how fun and easy home dyeing can be. If you cannot find a good range of dyes locally try http://www.searchpress.com for a list of suppliers. -- Rachel * myshelf.com * One great appeal of DIY is to the ability to personalize. What's the point in making it yourself if it's going to end up looking like it was mass produced? Dyeing fabric allows for a one-of-a-kind look, and when combined with home sewing, the result can be a truly unique item. This book focuses solely on chemical dyes (as opposed to natural dyes made from plants in one's garden) but offers a variety of methods, including using a washing machine, hand dyeing, and dyeing in a microwave. Twelve lessons show the effects that can be created by knotting, tying, dipping, clamping, spraying, and other methods, each illustrated with step-by-step color photos. To use these effects in combination with the various methods of dyeing, the reader is offered 21 projects for a variety of bags, table linens, home decor, and clothing. Some projects are sewn, and others repurpose or refresh existing pieces. Most of the sewing is fairly straightforward, but the instructions are extremely brief, so an existing knowledge of sewing will be useful. -- Anne Heidemann * Booklist * May 2018 Dyeing fabrics and clothing can be rather hit and miss. Help is at hand in this useful book, which teaches best practice for hand dyeing, machine dyeing and even dyeing in the microwave. The book focuses on readily available chemical dyes, but the methods can just as easily be transferred to natural dyeing techniques. The 21 projects cover a range of different effects from tie-dyeing a T-shirt to creating a funky towel using ping-pong balls and elastic bands. The projects require basic sewing techniques and you'll learn how to turn an old pair of jeans into a bag or add some decorative cuffs to a dip-dyed shirt. As someone who's ruined a perfectly good Arran jumper by shocking the wool in a hot wash, I was interested in Clementine's sensible advice on dyeing different materials (apparently, I should have soaked it in cold water and slowly brought up the temperature when dyeing.) If you're into up-cycling and personalising without too much palaver, this is a great little book to get you started with off-the-shelf dyes. -- Julie Sheridan * Popular Patchwork * Originally written in French, the first section of this translation describes the types of cloth that are suitable for dyeing and the principles of dyeing by hand, in the washing machine and in the microwave. I found the explanation of the different types of dye (liquid, powder, all-in-one and wool/silk/polyamide dyes) to be rather facile. At no time does the author explain that she is using 'union' or 'universal' dyes, nor does she suggest any trade names or suppliers. However, there are clear explanations of how to create a variety of effects, including tie, dip and spray-dyeing. The second section consists of 21 projects in which dyed items of cloth ing, drapery or new fabric are further altered by sewing. In most cases the projects are attractive, with clear explanations and excellent photographs. However, in my opinion some of the descriptions of the techniques used, whilst adequate for an experienced sewer, would be insufficient for a beginner. Overall, the book is well-presented and fulfils the aim of introducing the beginner to some interesting dyeing effects, but I doubt that it will have much appeal to those who are seeking to explore the world of dyeing in greater depth. -- Sarah Pape (Durham and Tynedale & District Guilds) * Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers *