Botanical Dyes

Foreword by Michel Garcia
Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO BOTANICAL DYEING

What is botanical dyeing?
Traditional methods 
Natural dyeing: a call to action
Classification of dyes
The dyeing process
Natural fibres
Mordanting
The different techniques
In the dyer’s workshop

SEASONAL DYEING: RECIPES & INSPIRATION

SPRING - Walnut, Rhubarb, Dyer’s woad, Artichoke

SUMMER - Weld, Cosmos, Madder, Wild carrot

AUTUMN - Oak, St John’s wort, Elderberry, Broad-leaved dock    

WINTER - Chestnut, Onion, Avocado, Turmeric

OUT OF SEASON & OTHER LATITUDES - Cutch, Logwood

Appendices
Glossary
Useful addresses
Where to find the plants
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

About Aurélia Wolff

Aurélia Wolff is a French textile designer and has been a botanical dyer since 2012. Trained by Michel Garcia, one of the world's greatest experts on natural dyes, she has created the WHOLE project, a linens and accessories brand; a natural colour research lab; and a dye garden in Paris.

Aurélia also teaches and runs workshops, using traditional methods such as hand weaving to promote natural dyeing as a contemporary craft. Her approach involves recycling fabrics and sourcing only organic fibres and upcycling plants to extract colours. Aurélia implements ethical processes in her dye extraction to avoid waste, thus committing to pursuing a more eco-friendly fashion industry.

Visit the WHOLE project website: www.whole.fr

and Instagram account: @ourwholeconcept

@alex_oliver_art

Im intrigued to learn some new processes on using botanical dyes within my art practice! Im thinking on using these techniques to dye some raw canvas which Ill then use as a ground layer for my painting. I love the idea of trying something new and taking the time to do this lets see how it goes!

The book is Botanical Dyes by Aurélia Wolff - one thing I immediately love is that the autumnal colour palette in this book matches my latest painting! But aside from that I really like how its laid out according to seasons, and the recipes are detailed and theres also a lot of historical info here too.

It promotes a sustainable alchemical process (big tick) and at first glance it seems to be broken down well lets see how I get on.

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Blodwen from Half Yard Sewing Club

This is a comprehensive book on Botanical dying.  It covers all aspects of the dying process using plants and seeds which can be found during all four seasons, along with the peelings from your vegetables. YES vegetables. Amazing!

It is a fantastic book for the beginner, who, like me, had no idea about dying materials, it will keep you busy for hours.

The author has spent a long time researching and trying all the ways of dying materials such as silk, wool and cotton, transforming them into wonderful colours. It is not a quick process, and you will need a variety of equipment, which is explained to you in full.

You will be surprised just what you are able to forage from our countryside, and with patience and the knowledge from this book, turn your fabric into wonderful colours.

The book has 182 pages, within these there are many interesting facts, a little chemistry, history and eighteen recipes for you to follow. Price is £15.99 and well worth the money.

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Embroidery Magazine

The textile industry ranks second in terms of global pollution, with synthetic dyes a major contributing factor; often containing toxic additives. Faced with this sobering reality, botanical dyeing allows us to understand better our place in the ecosystem and the imprint we leave on it. This is of utmost importance to Aurélia Wolff, founder of the WHOLE project (whole.fr), a linens and accessories brand, natural colour research lab and dye garden in Paris. An ex-student of Michel Garcia, one of the great experts on natural dyes, Aurélia promotes natural dyeing as a contemporary craft. Her work involves recycling fabrics, sourcing organic fibres and upcycling plants to extract colours. Starting with the historical context, Aurélia then introduces families of dye plants, with easy-to-follow recipes for inspiring projects. Readers are encouraged to take a fresh look at familiar items, such as carrots and onions, turning waste into raw materials. Aurélia covers traditional foraged dyes - madder; weld and walnut, too. A must-read. 

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Helen from Half Yard Sewing Club

This book provides you with information and techniques in Botanical Dyes. Explanations are clear and Aurelia covers the fabrics to use, plants and the colours they produce, as well as in-depth knowledge on equipment and terminology to help you safely create beautiful colours that can be used in your stitching and art work.

A thoroughly interesting read.

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Jackie from Half Yard Sewing Club

This book is all about getting back to nature and using things found in you gardens and hedgerows to create beautiful natural colours to fabrics yarns and paper. It is a high quality book and excellent value. If you want to get started on a sustainable way to create beautiful things and move away from chemically produced colours this is the book for you. Very descriptive, and informative including the history of dyeing and the terms and processes involved. The book takes you through the seasons using what is available at the time so great for creating seasonal colour changes in your home and for gifts. Amazing at the vibrancy of some of the colours illustrated from just natural ingredients.

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Jayne from Half Yard Sewing Club

At first I thought this was a specialist publication for textile artists. However, on further inspection, I found it to be a very interesting book, that while showing how to use the colours of nature in plant-based dyeing, it also awakens our senses to nature and reminds us if it's beauty. The first section of the book provides an introduction to Botanical Dyeing, going through everything from the dyeing process, through to using different techniques to dyeing fabrics. The book then follows the seasons as it gives recipes and ideas, showing the beauty that the colours from nature can have throughout the year. The recipes are accompanied by beautiful photographs, showing the range of rich colours that nature produces and that can be used on textiles. A genuinely beautiful, interesting and surprising book. A nature walk won't be the same again!

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Juliet from Half Yard Sewing Club

If you've ever thought of dyeing your own fabric for your crafts then Botanical Dyes by Aurélia Wolff is a good starting point. It is a useful guidebook, well thought out and laid out. The section titled Introduction to Botanical Dyeing explains what botanical dyeing is, the methods, the process and the different techniques.

I think the layout is very user friendly especially for the beginner, for example, each plant has its own page and Aurelia provides a photograph of the plant (so you know what you are looking for), some background information on it, how it was used in times gone by, how to harvest it, recipes for making dyes (18 in all) and lovely photographs on the potential colours that may be achieved.

The dyeing suggestions are categorised into four chapters - one for each season of the year, and there are some useful photographs at the end of each chapter showcasing the many different hues that may be achieved. 

To round off the book has an Appendices section covering the glossary of terms used and suggestions of where to find the botanicals.

If there is a shortfall in this book for me its about Mordanting. Its covered in the book but I still havent got my head around it. However, some recipes dont necessarily require mordanting, such as creating red hues with avocado skins, so thats a blessing.

The book is a good size. It has 180 pages, which are matt, so no glare and not too heavy to hold whilst reading. The font is clear and everything is well photographed. An inspiring gift idea for a crafter!

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Sandra from Half Yard Sewing Club

An inspiring book, I have never tried dyeing my own fabric but after receiving this book I am keen to give it a go.
A lot of sewing techniques now feature texture and unusual material that can be enhanced by using your own dyes. The book encourages you to forage around and take notice of the natural plants in your garden and hedgerow. Learning about the properties of the plants and the array of colours you can produce.
It is clearly presented into seasons after an extremely comprehensive introduction covering the process, equipment and materials required. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this part, a very interesting and informative, well written section to lead you into starting your new skill. I live in the country and I am now looking at my environment for dyeing opportunities, but you can even use onions if you are short of plants. This is a lovely book, softly coloured print with hand drawn sketches. It is a book that if you left it on your coffee table a visitor would be drawn to pick up and get quickly engrossed.

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Slipknot, December 2024

Having done a little dyeing with natural substances in the past, I was excited to review this book, and I wasn't disappointed. Natural dyeing seems to be a growing trend, and it is good to have accessible information such as this all in one place. To quote the Foreword to the book 'The book is very well researched and gets to the very heart of the subject.'

Other books have covered the topic before (I have a book from 1992 which includes a chapter on natural dyeing), but Aurelia Wolff, who has extensive experience in natural dyeing brings us a fresh, clearly presented book that certainly encourages anyone to have a go with a few pieces of equipment and access to plants in the wild or the garden. 

The book opens with a useful warning regarding safety with dyes and pigments and a disclaimer regarding foraging in the wild where plants may be protected. There is a clear contents page, and introductory section. This considers the key principles and gives an overview of the families of potential plants and textiles to be used, followed by a survey of tools and a 'how to' guide. There is a clear description of the dyeing process, including useful illustrations, and the book is nicely designed throughout.

The introduction stresses the environmental advantages of using natural dyes together with the potential benefits of getting out and connecting with nature whilst sourcing the ingredients. An interesting observation is that apparently the textile industry ranks second in terms of global pollution. The second section of the book covers the natural items that can be used for dyeing. In this section, each dyeing product has its own recipe which indicates any variation required from the basic principles described earlier.

Throughout the book, there are historical references to the use of natural dyes over the years and these add useful and interesting context. The book concludes with a helpful glossary of terms and internet links for follow up research. This is a reasonably priced guide, bringing together information in one place in a very accessible format. It has certainly inspired me to delve deeper into experimenting with natural dyes.