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Processing Madder roots
Madder root that has just been chopped does not produce a good colour. Leave the chopped roots (whether dried or fresh) soaking in water for 24 hours. Discard the water used for soaking and add fresh water. Half-fill the blender (reserved only for dyeing) with water, put the lid on and switch it on. I remove the small opening on the blender lid and add a few bits of root at a time. Grind for a while, switch the blender off to let the bits settle down and then switch it on again. I pour the resulting mash into a bucket and repeat the process until all the roots have been ground.
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Adding Calcium Carbonate
Madder produces better colours in hard water. It is easy to get orange-reds but more difficult to get a true red. To achieve a good red, you need to add chalk in the form of calcium carbonate. I buy calcium carbonate from papermaking suppliers but you can also use chewable calcium tablets (which contain calcium carbonate) from health food shops. The chalk sold in outdoor shops for rock climbing (magnesium carbonate) is not the right type of chalk, neither is school board chalk (calcium sulphate) or agricultural lime (calcium hydroxide).
Ageing the roots
 The roots now need to age for a while. I lay cling film right on the surface of the liquid to prevent the formation of mould and leave the vat for four to seven days. Occasionally I lift the cling film and stir the liquid in the bucket or saucepan. I prefer to leave the dye vat at room temperature, as heat, especially temperatures over 80 C, tends to destroy the red colour.
Alizarin is not very soluble at cold temperatures, and dissolves slowly, hence the ageing of the roots and the long dyeing time.
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Fibre Preparation
If you are using silk, mordant it with alum first; if you are using wool, mordant it with alum, but do not use cream of tartar. Soak the fibres overnight or for a few hours before adding them to the dye pot.
The very best red on cotton and linen was called Turkey Red. This technique has been in use for thousands of years, and it involved up to 20 tricky steps over a three to four month period. As madder dyes wool and silk better than vegetable fibres, this process included a technique that made cotton or linen behave like an animal fibre. The ingredients used included animal dung, several oils, chalk, tannin, alum and sometimes blood. See Liles for more details.
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Adding the Fibre
I add the pre-soaked mordanted fibres to the saucepan with the liquidised roots, stir it well and cover the surface of the vat with cling film. I usually divide an 50 gram piece of silk in three, leave the first piece for a few days and then take it out, repeating the process with the second and third piece. This way I get a very dark, red piece, and two medium red ones. I might add another piece for light red. I leave the vat at room temperature for two to seven days, lifting the cling film and stirring the vat occasionally. Again, I do not use any source of heat.
I have tried both straining the roots before adding the fibre, and putting the roots in a muslin bag, but the colour was not as good as when I left the roots in the dye vat with the fibres. You will find that bits of root will get everywhere in the fibre, but they do not stick as badly to the fibre as brazilwood or logwood chips. After dyeing, let the fabric dry well for a day or two. Shake the fibre very well outside, to remove as many loose bits of root as possible. Wash the fibre well.
When I finish dyeing, I pour the contents of the vat through a sieve, saving the liquor if I want to dye paper; otherwise I throw the liquor away as it ferments very easily. I also throw the contents of the sieve on the compost, as the dyestuff tends to get mouldy before it dries up. I often exhaust the vat by adding shredded computer paper, mordanted with alum to the liquor, which I later use to make sheets of paper.
For cultivation of Madder root see previous page
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