Modern Natural Dyer

Kristine Vejar is the owner of A Verb for Keeping Warm, a popular yarn store and natural dye studio in Oakland, California. She was introduced to natural dyeing during a semester aborad in India while earning her BA in art history from Mills College. She advanced her skills after graduation when she returned to India for 18 months to study textiles and dyeing techniques on a Fulbright scholarship. Back in California, she started dyeing in her kitchen in 2006, rented a dye studio in 2007, opened a small store in 2008, then in 2010 expanded into her current 1700-square foot space with a dedicated retail area, classroom, dye studio, and educational dye garden.

Once in a while you fall in love with a book and even if you cannot at the moment use the information in any way, you still treasure it just in case life presents you with that IF moment one day. I have no space to dye currently, especially not to dye with natural dyestuffs, yet I love this book. I love all the visual elements, the colours, the process and the end result. I have long loved colour it is the reason I knit, do textiles and dye small quantities of fabrics and threads. I once did an indigo vat and would love to do this permanently. This is a book of my dreams. It is a resource for natural dyeing, complete with projects. Find the natural materials for dyeing; discover the wonderful colours you can create; explore the possibilities. One of the most fascinating things about dye is the different colours produced by one source. Information is provided on each source. There is also plenty of information about what you can dye. All the processes are fully explained and different methods are included such as eco printing, dyeing from whole dyestuffs and from extracts. Step-by-step photos are included of the dyeing process. There are shade cards for different fibres. The projects are excellent and each one demonstrates different skills in dyeing and the projects include knitted and fabric items such as clothes, quilts, bags. Surface design is also included. This is a highly recommended, quality book that you will want to keep. Whilst not absolutely comprehensive and old hands might not find anything new, it is a wonderful book that I enjoyed immensely.