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the MAIWA JOURNAL

The Maiwa Guide to Natural Dyes
What they are and how to use them


Caesalpinia gilliesii (a species of Brazilwood known as the bird of paradise)
found in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile.
Photographed at the natural dye garden in Lauris, France.

Brazilwood (Sappanwood) - is from the heartwood of trees of the genus Caesalpinia. Originally an old-world dye, the discovery of Caesalpinia on the coastlines of South America gave the country Brazil its name. In South America it was harvested (then overharvested) from the species Cæsalpinia echinata.

Sappanwood, Cæsalpinia punctata is found throughout east Asia and is sometimes known as Eastern Brazilwood to distinguish it from Cæsalpinia echinata. Our brazilwood comes from Sappanwood.

This wood is high in tannin and the colourant known as Brazilian. It will produce lovely warm reds when dyed at a 20% WOF and deep crimson reds when dyed at 50-100%. The dyebath can be used multiple times for lighter colours and the wood chips can be dried for future use.

Startling variations can be achieved (bright orange to blue red) when the pH level of the dye bath is manipulated. Fabrics dyed with brazilwood are fast to washing but somewhat fugitive to light.

Eastern Brazilwood

Eastern Brazilwood is available to order here.

Mordanting: use an alum mordant at 15% WOF for protein fibres. Mordant with tannin at 8% WOF and then alum at 15% WOF for cellulose fabrics.

Dyeing: Brazilwood develops best in slightly hard water. Adding finely ground chalk (or a Tum’s tablet – 1 to each 4 liters of water) brightens the brazilwood colour, especially if there is no lime in the local water.

This dye takes time to be extracted - simmer 25-50% WOF of the wood chips for 1-3 hours and leave to cool overnight or longer (some dyers leave for days). Add fibre to the bath. The first dyebath will produce a deep crimson red. The next dye bath can be used to achieve beautiful shades of pink and coral. Change the pH level to an acid to get an orange red or use an alkaline (like soda ash) to get blue-red to brilliant purple. Adding fustic extract will yield rich warm reds and iron will turn the fabric to a mulberry wine colour. A dip in indigo will produce purples.

Brazilwood on a variety of fibre types. Linen, cotton, wool, silk.

Our light fastness tests for brazilwood.
60 days in the sun.
Left 50% WOF right 50% WOF with an iron afterbath.



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Wednesday, February 27, 2013 1 comments

Magnificent old brass and copper pot. Approx. two and a half feet wide by three feet high. $1200.

Large teak bowls up to three feet across and about eight inches deep.
These objects have substantial display potential. $599 each.

Hammered brass urn from India. Two hefty rings fastened to the top.
Approx. 18 inches across and 20 inches tall. $499.

Hand forged copper pot with copper rivets on top band. This is a truly remarkable item.
Approx. two and a half feet high and two feet wide. $1999.

Rare antique coper urn from India. $1200.
Approx 3 feet high and two feet in diameter at the largest width.

Antique bronze urn, from a plantation in India. Rare.
Approx. 2 feet high by two feet wide. Very solid. $1300.




Maiwa East
1310 Odlum Drive Vancouver, Canada

maiwaeast.com

Open Thursday - Saturday 10am - 5pm
Open Sunday 11am - 5pm



Thursday, February 21, 2013 No comments
We have been putting up some photos of our 2013 travels. Here are a few more ...

Fresh from the dyepot - indigo cloth dries in the open air.


From above - a field of indigo blue.




A variety of sumptuous blockprinting. Most of this is done with the dabu mud resist technique. 
Note the large copper dyepot filled with napkins. 

Find out more about Dabu mud resist.

Here is our dabu cloth available online.

Behind the table you will see one of our kashmir blankets.




Friday, February 15, 2013 1 comments
The Maiwa Guide to Natural Dyes
What they are and how to use them


We are working our way through the most common dyes alphabetically. So we begin with Alkanet, it is available online here.

Alkanet – alkanna tinctoria or dyer’s alkanet is a very attractive purple colourant that is found in the roots of plants belonging to the borage family. It grows uncultivated throughout central Europe and extends to central Asia and North Africa. The extracted pigment is often used in cosmetics, soaps and pigments. The violet colourant from alkanet is not soluble in water.

Before a dyebath is made the alkanet root must be soaked in a solution of alcohol and hot water – colourless rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits can be used (some dyers who do not like the smell of either of these solvents use vodka!). The colours produced on mordanted fabric and yarns are shades of grey, lavender and purple when used at 75-100% WOF. The colours achieved are beautiful but have moderate light fastness.

Mordanting: use alum mordant at 15% WOF for protein fibres. Mordant with tannin at 8% WOF and then alum at 15% for cellulose fibres.

Dyeing: Use dried alkanet at approximately 75-100% WOF for rich colours. First, soak the shavings in alcohol (or methylated spirits) for several days to extract the colour. When the liquid has developed a strong colour, strain off the liquid then add enough water to this liquid for the fibres to move freely in the solution. Add the mordanted fibres and heat this dyebath up gently - but no higher than 60ºC (140ºF) - until all the colour has been taken up. Adding iron to the dyebath at 2% WOF creates a range of greys and grey-violets.

Samples and light fastness tests: below are some of our dye samples and light fastness tests. Keep in mind that computer monitors will introduce a colour bias, as will the process of photographing the dye samples. Reader's who are interested in colour, especially how it shifts in photography will find our post about the tapestries at Hampton Court interesting.

Our light tests are done by taking an evenly dyed piece of cloth and then exposing only half of it to daylight for 60 days in summer. We are located in the Pacific Northwest  - our sun does not have a reputation for intensity. Professional, scientifically calibrated, fade tests are available, but tend to be prohibitively expensive. Our simple tests confirmed what we understood to be true: that Alkanet on cloth is beautiful but has only moderate light fastness.

Click on the image for a larger version.


Alkanet at 80% WOF
wool, silk, viscose, boiled cotton, mercerized cotton.


Alkanet at 80% WOF + Iron at 2% WOF
wool, silk, viscose, boiled cotton, mercerized cotton.

Alkanet at 80% WOF
linen, silk, wool, wool jersey, hemp.

Alkanet at 80% WOF + Iron at 2% WOF
linen, silk, wool, wool jersey, hemp.

Alkanet light test - 60 days.
Alkanet 80% WOF on linen, gall nut as tannin.


Alkanet light test - 60 days.
Alkanet 80% WOF on linen, maiwa tannin.

Alkanet light test - 60 days.
Alkanet 80% WOF + iron afterbath on linen, gall nut as tannin.

Alkanet light test - 60 days.
Alkanet 80% WOF + iron afterbath on linen, maiwa tannin.




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Saturday, February 09, 2013 4 comments

Maiwa has been on the road for a little over a month now. Visiting people and places throughout India and Bangladesh. Recently we stopped in to see the craftspeople from the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja. The group comprises both leatherworkers and carpet weavers. Here are a few photos from the visit.


Each year the carpets seem to get more colourful. They are woven from the substantial local wool, making them very durable. The looms are wider that those we usually see used for shawls.


Maiwa staff Loraie and Danielle, share a cup of sweet Indian chai with the carpet weavers next to stacks of new work. 


Many people now know the famous Jawaja leatherwork. In airports we often encounter people who recognize the bags and strike up a conversation. Here Sophena checks out the capacity of a new design.


Our annual meeting with the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja is a highlight of our trip. Maiwa owner, Charllotte Kwon especially looks forward to this meeting as she has seen the cooperative grow more confident every year. New designs and innovations are presented with pride. The walls of the meeting room now contain posters promoting the cooperative. To belong to the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja is to belong to a group that is known throughout India and the world.

The works of the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja are available online. 

Works of the leatherworkers are available here.
Works of the carpet weavers are available here.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013 1 comments
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