Article by Steve Allen I was directed down this rabbit hole by Dr. Paul Gaskell via his article published in the Spring 2025 issue of Fly Tyer Magazine. He documented the 19th century British fly tyer and fisher, H.C. Cutcliffe. Dr. Gaskell detailed how he followed Cutcliffe’s methods of sourcing tying materials and dyeing them. H.C. Cutcliffe lived during the mid-1800s at which time you collected your tying materials from the sources at hand; barnyard animals, game birds, silk, and yarn. As most feathers and fur were of naturally occurring coloration the art of fabric dying was employed in the dying of fly-tying materials.