WEAVING AND DYEING

Press, 16 June 1979, Page 17

WEAVING AND DYEING

Practical Modern Weaving. By Rosemary Murray. Van Nostrand Reinhold. 112 pp. $7.65. Weaving You Can Use. By Jean Wilson. Van Nostrand Reinhold. 136 pp. $9.05. Dyes from Plants. By Seonaid Robertson. Van Nostrand Reinhold. 144 pp. $10.40. ( Reviewed by Mary Catharine Jackson) Written for the amateur with no previous experience of weaving, “Practical Modern Weaving” is intended as a basic book for the would-be weaver who may have no access to personal instruction. The most basic procedure in traditional weaving is preparing a warp and putting it on the loom. Only 14 pages of this book are devoted to explaining this rather complicated procedure. The instructions for such techniques as require so many references to the glossary that the novice would have to be very determined indeed to attempt dressing a loom with no other assistance. The remainder of the book is devoted to descriptions of several patterns and techniques and to instructions for a few specific

projects. Included are brief instructions for such techniques as batik, tie-dyeing, and warp painting, while “Weaving with Wool” is relegated to a few pages m an appendix. Although the book is attractive, containing six colour plates as well as numerous black and white photographs, there are many other books available which the beginner would find easier to follow and which contain more useful information. “Weaving You Can Use” is a collection of work intended for practical, decorative use about the house. This is not a detailed instruction book, but instead an attempt to inspire the weaver to apply his or her craft in imaginative, but functional ways. A special emphasis is on working samples into one’s decorative scheme rather than stashing them away in a book for only occasional reference. "Dyes from Plants” is a useful introduction to the exciting craft of vegetable dyeing. The recipes are organised by season, and most of the plants included are readily available in New Zealand. Most of the book is devoted to techniques of dyeing wool, but information on cotton, linen and silk dyeing is included.