I have been including my own dyed fabrics in each of my quilts for years now- a great book is:
the dyer's bible-
there are quite a few good books available on the subject.
I recommend visiting Dharma Trading company
they carry all of the supplies needed- offer lots of free information, tutorials and the customer service staff is great answering questions and helping if there is a problem.
no it is not (hard) to dye your own fabrics, it is easy, fun and can get you those colors/designs you just can not find in the stores.