In the past, woad dye was produced by fermenting ground woad leaves into solid balls, known as “pastel” in France. This labor-intensive tradition involved growing, harvesting, grinding, shaping, and drying the woad before later crushing and soaking the balls to create a fermentation vat.

These handmade woad balls revive that centuries-old process. The special bacteria naturally present on Isatis tinctoria play an essential role in reducing the organic indigo vat, just as dyers practiced up until the 18th century.

Price is for approximately 90 g of woad ball — either one large piece or several smaller ones.

Active dye components: indigotin, indirubin (from isatan B precursor)
CI Natural Blue 1

Shading Tips

• No mordant required: vat dyeing method
• Wool, silk, cotton, and linen take color well
• Multiple dips produce a gradient from sky blue to deep indigo
• Overdye with weld or fustic: leaf to emerald greens
• Overdye with madder or cochineal: purples and violets