Sappanwood Sawdust

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Sappanwood Sawdust is native to SE Asia and India and makes a rich, pinkish red when calcium carbonate is added to the dye bath. It is one of the “exotic” red wood dyes. People traded it along the Silk Road and medieval dyers often used it. When used from 50-100% wof, the color is a rich deep red on wool. You can reuse the dyebath and the sawdust until exhausted, creating lighter shades. We like to extract the color by simmering Sappanwood sawdust in water for an hour, then letting it soak overnight. The next day, strain out the sawdust and reserve, then use the soaking water as your dye bath. You may add more water to the dye bath to cover the mordanted fibers. Then gradually bring to 160F and hold for 45 minutes. If you want to create magenta and fuchsia tones, add 1-2% calcium carbonate (chalk) to the dye bath before adding the mordanted fibers.

**The dyed fabrics pictured above are two different silks, a cotton jersey, a woven cotton, and a cotton linen blend. Everything was dyed at 100% WOF.**