A while back I had someone ask me why I charge such “high prices” for my tie-dyes. I’ve thought about that a lot, and I just want to say that tie-dyeing has certainly not made me rich.
Tie-dyeing is a very labor intensive enterprise. I know of many tie-dyers who have quit and gone to work at regular jobs. As one of my friends told me, “I really love it, but it is just too much labor. I wish I could charge twice as much and keep doing it, but I can’t.”
I’ve always refused to compromise quality, and quality takes time. It takes checking, and constant vigilance. You would not believe how many ways dye can get on the wrong spot. When I’m dyeing, I spend half my dyeing time checking to make sure the right amount of dye is in the right place. Not to
I experiment constantly—I look at every shirt that I make to see what I can improve next time. Experimentation and observation have become a way of life for me. But, again, this takes time, and time costs money.
Consistency takes more time. If you’re in business selling tie-dyes you can’t necessarily sell whatever comes out of the washer, although eBay will show you that many try. So it is a matter of survival to develop consistency if you’re in business, and especially if you want to sell to more than just your local area.
Ok, that’s my rant for today.
I am going to blog about the ways I’ve changed my business to increase efficiency and make it work in spite of the above difficulties. And I’m seriously thinking of publishing a book on How to Run a Craft Business and Survive.
