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