Harvesting Colour How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes

Gardening & Environment Education & Reference Crafts & Hobbies

Harvesting Colour by Rebecca Burgess is a first-edition, fully illustrated handbook that shows crafters, gardeners, and fashion lovers how to coax vibrant pigments from North American weeds, herbs, and trees. Step outside, identify local dye plants, then follow Burgess’s kitchen-table recipes to transform foraged foliage into soft, colourfast blues, golds, and pinks on cotton, silk, or wool.

The 208-page paperback pairs lush photos with clear charts that pair each plant to its best fibre, water type, and mordant, making natural dyeing feel approachable for beginners yet detailed enough for textile artists. Alongside the craft, Burgess weaves environmental insight, explaining how mindful harvesting keeps both wardrobe and watershed healthy.

This 2011 Artisan first edition is in good used shape: pages are crisp and supple, with only a light crease to the opening leaves and occasional faint rubbing—no ex-library marks, no writing, no tears. It’s ready to ride in a backpack to the garden or studio.

Add Harvesting Colour to your sustainability or art library and start turning backyard plants into wearable, planet-friendly colour.