Our natural woad dyeing kit is a great introduction to this fascinating technique. It contains all you need to get started apart from some basic equipment!
About your kit:
Our natural woad dye kit is a great kit to introduce you to the magic of nature’s beautiful blues!
Our woad dyeing kit uses pure, natural woad sourced from an independent European grower. Woad is dyed using a vat dyeing method (in the same way as indigo) which requires a ‘reduction’ process. In this kit, the reduction is achieved by using thiourea dioxide (‘thiox’) or sodium hydrosulphite (‘hydros’) which removes the oxygen from the vat. Combined with sodium carbonate (‘soda ash’) in the kit, the woad is made soluble The vat is a greeny-yellow at this stage.
When the yarns, fabrics or fibres are introduced into the vat, the reduced woad attaches to the fibres. At this stage, it is still in its soluble form.
Once the materials are removed from the vat (after just a few minutes) they are a greeny-yellow. As they are exposed to the air, the woad returns to its insoluble form and the magical blue appears. It really is fascinating to watch!
In your kit you will find:
- 10g Pure Woad powder
- 100g oxygen reducing agent
- 125g sodium carbonate
- Gloves and measuring spoon
- Comprehensive dye instruction booklet written by Debbie Tomkies specially for this kit
If you would like to buy top-up ingredients, you can buy our woad, thiourea dioxide and sodium carbonate separately.
Who is this kit suitable for?
This is our standard woad kit (which uses either thiourea dioxide ‘thiox’ or sodium hydrosulphite ‘hydros’ and sodium carbonate – ingredients used in laundry products). It is quick to set up and maintain and easy to use. An ideal introduction to woad dyeing for beginners.
For a complete beginner, with the comprehensive instructions included in the kit you should be able to set up a successful vat and produce stunning fabrics, yarns and fibres from the palest pastels to rich blues.
What else will I need?
Just some basic equipment most of which you may already have. Please note that any utensils/dishes used for dyeing should not be used for cooking food afterwards:
- A pan, microwave dish or oven tray for cooking your hand-dyed yarn
- Cloths and something to cover surfaces
- A couple of plastic beakers (or old cups) for mixing dyes
- Stirring spoon or stick
- pH papers or a pH measure
