Turkey Red Dye from Indian Madder Root

Our Turkey Red Dye is produced from the root of Indian Madder (Rubia Cordifolia) which belongs to the Rubiaceae plant family which contains about 60 species. The two commonly used for dyeing are Rubia cordifolia and Rubia tinctorum, or common madder, used in Blood Red. Like the other dye colors, it is produced using a traditional fermentation method. It dyes extremely well on wool and silk that has been premordanted with herbal mordant, tannin, alum or other mineral mordants and is very colorfast. It can also be used on cellulose fibers like cotton. The best alum mordant to use for cotton is aluminum acetate.

To be clear, this is not the Turkey Red spoken of historically but does give beautifully similar shades - and is much easier to use as you'll understand once you read on. The shade charts below show the difference in shades if using either alum or herbal mordant. I personally prefer the herbal mordant, especially the rich deepest shades. We can obtain colors ranging from a very light pink to deep red. These samples were done on wool.

For information on historical Turkey Red I would recommend The Art Craft Natural Dyeing: Traditional Recipes Modern Use by J.N. Liles. The is a "must have" book for natural dyers. The traditional method was particularly developed for dyeing on cotton and linen and was a very complex process involving oil mordants, tannins, sun drying, dung and more - anywhere from 13 to 20 steps. According to Liles, the process was likely developed in India although the name would suggest it was credited to Turkish and other mediterranean countries. A lot of information on the process has been lost but Liles has been able to come up with a recipe he's very satisfied with - a 17 step process using one of three possible oil mordants as well as dung, tannin, alum and washing soda. I really admire Liles for keeping this information alive and it's really interesting to read.

Rubia cordifolia (Indian Madder) also has a long history of medical use, considered to be one of the most valuable herbs in ayurvedic medicine with uses from skin ailments to digestive complaints and menstrual disorders. It is a perennial, herbaceous climber that grows throughout India, in hilly districts up to 3500 meters high.

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