The woad leaves are torn up and boiling water is poured over them. This stew is left for an hour to get the colour out of the leaves.
The sherry colour liquid is processed by first adding some washing soda to make it ph9-10 and then oxygen is both added and removed.
Silk and wool fibres tend to take up more colour than cotton and linen.
In a few days we will be harvesting this woad and making a vat with it. I will post the results here next week.
Spring warmth and sunshine is developing the garden into a lush green oasis. Seedlings of coreopsis and chamomile have been planted and the main crops of madder, woad and weld are really looking good.
Madder in the foreground and flowers of woad behind which will develope into seed for next year’s crop.
Weld starting to develope it’s flowering spikes.
Woad leaf