This is the most comprehensive and lavishly illustrated book yet to be published on the techniques of dyeing wool by using various parts of Australian plants – the leaves, bark, stems, roots, berries, flowers, seeds, and even leaves with scale insects attached. The parts may be used separately or in combination to produce a variety of colours ranging from muted to brilliant, each with a natural subtlety which gives it an attractive distinction.

The text explains how to prepare the wool for dyeing and how to use mordants, then lists more than 200 varieties of Australian flora, including trees, shrubs, flowers, and reeds. Each genus is fully described, and the parts of each plant to be used for dyeing are specified together with the mordants that will produce different colours. For example, different parts of the Cootamundra Wattle may be used to various mordants to dye wool in colours ranging from bright gold to deep green.

For those who seek the satisfaction of creation from natural resources, this book is a simple guide to the practice of an age-old craft.