Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes
Gardening Botany Reference Environmentalism Crafts & Hobbies Textile Arts Natural Dyeing Sustainable Fashion
Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes is a 2011 first-edition handbook that has become the go-to resource for anyone who wants to turn backyard weeds, roadside “trash” plants, and garden extras into gorgeous, color-fast fabric dyes. Over 208 heavily illustrated pages, textile artist Rebecca Burgess maps out 36 North-American dye plants by season and region, giving exact harvest windows, parts to use, and the final color range you can expect—everything from soft sage (sagebrush) to electric magenta (prickly pear fruit). Because every recipe is scaled for home dyers and uses only kitchen-safe equipment, beginners can jump straight in without costly studio gear.
What sets this copy apart is its clean, unmarked interior and tight binding—no ex-library stamps, no inscriptions, just a light crease on the first few pages and occasional page rubs that keep the price friendly while still delivering a shelf-ready first edition. At 229 mm tall, the paperback lies flat on the dye table and the plant-ID photos are crisp enough to double as a field guide. Collectors like the fact that early printings are already out of print; makers love that the ANSI/US-sourced paper stock stands up to spills and repeated thumbing.
Beyond the recipes, Burgess weaves in cultural context—indigenous traditions, sustainable land stewardship, and slow-fashion ethics—so you’re not just dyeing fabric, you’re joining a movement. Whether you’re a fashion student looking for zero-impact color, a gardener seeking value-added crops, or a parent planning eco-crafts, this copy offers an instant reference library in a single volume. Secure it now while first-edition copies in this condition remain available online.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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