An essential plant for natural dyeing
When it comes to plant dyes, madder is hard to ignore. It is one of the few plants that “makes” red, a red that is resistant to UV rays and washing.
Its color palette is rich and varied: oranges, pinks, reds and even purples.
It all depends on the plant, the water, the fiber and, of course, the “recipe”.
1. Portrait of madder
There is not just one madder but many, all belonging to the Rubiaceae family, the red plants.
Let’s dive into the most famous.
1.1. Travelling madder
A wild species, traveling madder (rubia peregrina) grows spontaneously around the Mediterranean.
It grows best in limestone soils, and you can find it at the base of hedges or embankments. It has evergreen foliage, its green leaves that stay green all year . And its rhizomes contain red pigments from the anthraquinone family, offering fairly dark reds.
1.2. Dyer’s madder
Dyer’s madder(rubia tinctorum) is the most famous cultivated species. It has been grown extensively across Europe and is still cultivated today by enthusiasts.
It grows in deep, fertile, cool soil. To get the most red colorant (alizarin), the rhizomes are harvested after three years of growing.. Soil quality and climate will influence the concentration of colorant in the roots. No matter what, this plant is the perfect symbol of deep red.
1.3. Indian madder
A robust plant, Indian madder(rubia cordifolia) is abundant throughout Asia, especially in India. It grows spontaneously in clearings, forest edges and open areas. Stems and roots are used for dyeing. Its shades of red are slightly orange (link in french).
2. How to dye with madder
There are many ways to dye fabric using madder. The ones I’m suggesting are just a few ideas for you to try.
2.1. Mordanting : a necessary step in madder dyeing
First question: Should the fiber be treated with a mordant? The answer is yes!
The process is different for wool, linen, or cotton. The only thing they have in common is that they both use plants as a mordant. I don’t use any artificial mordant.
2.1.1. Mordanting wool for madder dyeing
Several plants can help you fix madder:
- plants that are rich in tannin, such as gallnut, sumac, myrobolan, or pomegranate, and mix them with a little lemon juice. If the tannin is colored like pomegranate, it will add a subtle orange color to your madder.
- plants rich in oxalic acid, such as rhubarb, rumex, beet leaves and Japanese knotweed.
- birch bark,
- symplocos. A plant naturally rich in alumina, it can easily replace alum.
I wrote about all the different steps for mordanting with these plants in my book, Wild Dyeing: From the Garden to Color – An Introduction to Natural Vegetable Dyes.
2.1.2. Mordanting linen or cotton for madder dyeing
A first wash
To remove all primers and other residues.
Next, the fiber is “animalized”
However, it does improve how well plant colors stick to fabric, especially new fabric. There are different ways to do this. The idea is to bathe the fabric in a protein-rich bath: goat’s milk, soya milk, etc.
I’ve been experimenting with egg whites, which really work.
This first bath is followed by drying.
Finally comes the preparation of the mordant baths
Prepare a decoction of symplocos and one of walnuts or sumac. The fabric is first soaked in a symplocos bath at 176°F (80°C) for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then in the tannin bath (same temperature and duration). For a deeper shade, you can repeat this bath alternation, reducing the duration.
Finally, let it dry.
For me, the best mordant for madder dyeing is symplocos or beetroot leaves. They work very well and are all-natural.
2.2 The madder dye bath
If you buy your madder, the qualitiy vary from one supplier to another. Also, within the same supplier, the nuances can vary from one year to the next. Soil type, harvesting period and climate influence colorant concentration.
Madder roots are available in different forms: cut into small pieces, ground into powder, or as a plant extract.
The recommended amount for deep red tones is 100% of the weight of the fiber to be dyed. If madder is in extract form, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2.2.1. First step in madder dyeing : extracting the colorant
This step is unnecessary when using madder extract. In this case, you go straight to the second step.
- Empty the madder roots into the saucepan.
- Cover with water to submerge the plant.
- Let stand at least overnight, preferably 24 hours.
- It’s ready when the juice is nice and red. If not, heat slowly to 140-168°F (60-70°C).
- Filter the decoction through cheesecloth.
- Reserve the juice.
2.2.2. Second stage of madder dyeing : the dye bath
- Pour the plant juice into a pot large enough to adequately spread out the fibers to be dyed.
- Add more water, if possible with hard water.
- Add the mordanted fibers, previously wetted and wrung out. Make sure they are completely submerged.
- Heat and raise temperature very gradually to 176-185°F (80-85°C) and hold at this temperature for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Turn off the heat and allow the dye bath to cool.
- Once the bath has cooled, remove the fibers and wring them out. Let it dry in the shade.
A few details on the madder dye bath:
- Madder grows well in hard water. If your water is soft, add a little chalk until the juice turns red (step 2). For linen or cotton, you can even soak your fabric in a chalk bath before dipping it in madder juice.
- In step 4, do not exceed 185°F (85°C), and do not raise the temperature to the boiling point, as this may alter the color. The red color then changes to brown.
- For a beautiful unison (step 4), stir regularly (every ten minutes or so) and gently.
- For washing, if your water has minimal limescale and is slightly acidic, washing with a small amount of dish soap or a little chalk will slightly enhance the red color.
3. Vary the shades obtained with madder
Madder makes red, but not just red. When you combine it with other plants, you can create a wider range of colors.
Here are some suggestions for enriching your experiences:
- with indigo, for a deeper blue or chocolate brown
- with yellow plants, for oranges.
- with campêche wood for violets.
- with chestnut for a reddish brown.
There are two ways to do this:
- put the plants in the same tincture bath, provided that the plants have the same affinities to water quality (PH, hardness…) or
- proceed by successive baths, necessary and indispensable with indigo.
The range of possibilities can then be explored by varying the amount of plant in each bath.
This second shading bath is particularly useful for “catching up” on a color that has become too dull.
I prefer to dedicate a significant amount of time to refining these second baths until I identify the precise nuance that catches my eye and captures my attention.
I let you conduct your own experimentation with madder dyeing.
