MADDER

Madder is a low creeping plant that will cover an area of ground quite quickly. It does not need a great deal of looking after apart from the occasional weeding. The plant matures at 5 years old. The flowers are small and yellow/green in colour. The berries are dark when ripe and can be used as seed stock to multiply the crop.

The part of the plant used for the dye is the tuber type roots. The plant should be pulled from the ground after loosening the soil. The leaves can then be stripped of the plant and the roots put in a sheltered place to dry out. When dry the roots can be ground up into a powder and put in a pot with some water. This should be heated to extract the bright red dye. The use of alum as a mordant will give a deep red on wool. If a copper dye vat is used the colour will be brighter.

Also known as 'dyers rocket' because of the speed and height that it grows to. The seed is very small and fine and should be planted in rows a foot apart. It grows at an amazing speed up to the height of 6 foot plus. The head of the plant flowers with small yellow clusters which set to seed pods.

The whole of the plant can be harvested and dried. You can chop it up to make storage easier. The whole of the plant is put in boiling water to extract the yellow dye. Use alum as a mordant with wool, and you will get a lemon-yellow colour

Woad in the garden
Woad seed can be sown in the garden to provide leaves for dyeing in the first year and to flower as an attractive garden flower in the second. The seed can be sown about 5 cms deep in March or April. The seedlings can also be transplanted. Keep it clean weeded. By the end of June the leaves will be full size for the first year, about 20 cms tall. In the second year the Woad grows to about 1.5 metres with masses of small yellow flowers.Use first year leaves from July (best) until November. It is also possible to use the small leaves which occur in the second year.

Dyeing with Woad
*Drop the leaves into fast boiling water with a pinch of cream of tartar. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
* Remove the leaves and cool the liquid as quickly as possible.
*Add ammonia until the Liquid is yellowish in colour.
*Bring the liquid to 60 degrees Centigrade while adding ammonia until yellow again.
*Add sodium dithionite to deoxidise the liquid.
*Stir gently without splashing until a bronze scum appears.
*Put in the hot wet wool then remove it and shake in the air.
*Dip it again if not blue enough.
Indigo is a fast dye that fades very little in sunlight or in washing.