Self-Sufficiency: Spinning, Dyeing & Weaving

In this comprehensive book, an expert textile arts instructor reveals everything readers need to know to make their own fabrics. This book explains where different fibres come from, how to grow them from seed or obtain them from animals, and how to prepare them for spinning. The principles of spindle and spinning wheel spinning are covered, along with home dyeing using natural dyestuffs, and hand weaving with or without a loom. Finally, there are a number of simple projects, such as a rug, shoulder bag, bed cover, and jumper and mitts to put your newly learned skills to the test.

Penny Walsh is the author of Yarn: How to Understand, Design and Use Yarn. A visiting lecturer in textile arts at several colleges in the U.K., Penny teaches and researches traditional techniques of dyeing and spinning, using ecologically sound ingredients and renewable sources. Part of the design group AO Textiles, she has worked on fabrics and yarns for Jean Muir, Peclers Paris, Laura Biagiotti, The Royal Opera House, and Aveda Eco Fashion.