Medieval Dyes

The perfect dyebook for historical reenactors. Get authentic, bright colors on wool, cotton, linen, and silk. Contains  • Discussion of 48 historical dyestuffs  • Thirty-six natural dye recipes, tested by the author  • Results of the author’s lightfastness tests  • Recipes for scouring fibers  • Updated recipes for mordanting before or after dyeing  • Safety advice  • Discussion of 24 chemicals used in dyeing (What is the difference between “potash” and “pearl ash”?)  • Conversions between traditional “English” and metric units  • Index of dyestuffs by common names and by scientific names  • Annotated bibliography of over 50 sources for further study  • Fun facts (The Romans used walnut husks as a hair dye. “Alizarin”, a pigment found in madder root, is named after the Persian word for madder dye, “al lizari”.) 22 black and white illustrations, by the late C. Ellen Young