Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
All About Dye
Nonfiction Craft Book
For ages 8 and up
Ammo Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1934429907
Humans have been dyeing fabric, fiber, and even stone for thousands of years. Though we can now buy clothing in almost any color that we want in a store these days, it is still a lot of fun to make our own dyed clothing, and in this book children who like to be creative can learn how to do this.
The author begins by telling us a little about different kinds of dyes, the process, and what we need to do to protect ourselves and our surroundings when we work with dyes. Dyeing is a messy business, and it makes sense to take precautions.
Then he moves on to the projects. There are ten of these, and in each one young fabric artists will learn a new dyeing skill. The first project, a colorful tank top that is dyed with two colors that bleed into one another, shows children how to use two colors using a simple method.
A few pages on, we see how to make straight lines of dye by ironing a t-shirt and placing lines of dye in the pleated folds. If this careful approach looks to technical for you, then you might like the freeze style project. To complete this project artists will use frozen dye pieces that are splattered on a shirt to create a very colorful and ‘wild’ look.
For each project in the book, the author provides his readers with annotated photos that show what is needed, how to get ready, and how to complete each step of the process. The instructions are easy to follow, and there are photos to show the reader what the completed project looks like.
This book would make a great gift for any young person who loves to play with color and who likes to be creative.
