Ground Madder Root

Description

We carry ground madder (Rubia cordifolia), that looks and smells amazing. Quality ground roots make dyeing with this ancient dye easy. You do not need to chop up the soaked roots. To use, just soak and proceed to dyeing.

Our ground madder yields a beautiful deep yellow-based red. We like to soak the roots, add fiber and simmer at low temperatures to develop the deep rich color. A small amount of citric acid and calcium carbonate allow you to get the richest shades from our madder roots.

100g of ground madder root will dye 100g (3.5 ounces) of fiber to its darkest red shade. In addition, you will have multiple exhaust dyebaths for additional colors. For more detailed instructions, please see our How to page.

Learn more about madder:

According to Cloth Roads:

Madder contains one of the most complex groups of substances of any dye plant–more than twenty compounds are contained in the plant. Alizarin, the organic dye found in the madder plant, creates the crimson red we associate with madder. However, there are yellow and purple colorants in the chemical mix, which is why madder produces such a wide variety of naturally-dyed colors.

Madder is one of our most ancient dyes–the universal red. Cotton textiles from the Indus civilization date to around 3000 B.C. A madder-dyed belt was found in Tutankhamun’s grave and archeologists have unearthed madder-dyed fabrics in ancient China. The Andean cultures of Paracas and Nasca used the domestic madder plant Relbunium long before cochineal. Throughout history, dyers used madder on wool and cotton, as silk was considered so precious it could only be dyed with cochineal.