Medieval Dyes - Paperback

by C. Ellen Young (Illustrator), Jodi Smith (Author)

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

Author Biography

Jodi Smith raises goats on a small farm in western Maine, near the White Mountains. Jodi spins, weaves, dyes, knits, and makes goat cheese for her family. She is member of the Down Home Spinners, and a former officer of the Northern Colorado Weavers' Guild. She is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval living-history group. Besides the goats, she has 3 Churro sheep, chickens, heirloom turkeys, and 3 cats on the farm. Jodi graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1976, with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Jodi's background in chemical engineering, and her interests in fiber and in medieval life all lead to her work with natural dyes. Medieval Dyes, based on her own experimental research, is her first book Jodi's husband has a job with a real paycheck, but he still finds time to help fix the pasture fences. Their 15-year-old daughter loves playing with the goats, and hates homework and cleaning her room. Within the Society for Creative Anachronism, Jodi is known as Mistress Drahomira Jaroslavna. She is a member of the Order of the Laurel, and resides in the Province of Malagentia, in the East Kingdom.