Reflections from Dyeworks: Real Conversations ~ Recording available with Full Membership

A little summary of yesterday's meeting on Pricing, Profitability & Quality Control in our Dyeworks: Real Conversations series, we turned to one of the most quietly challenging aspects of natural dye practice:

How do we value our work — honestly and sustainably?

Pricing is rarely just a numbers exercise. It touches confidence, experience, learning, time, and the invisible labour behind every dyed skein, fabric length or pigment jar.

🌿 Costing Dye Work Honestly

We began by unpacking what “costing” truly includes.

Not just fibre and dyestuff — but:

• preparation time

• heating and water

• rinsing and finishing

• plant material (especially when homegrown)

• studio overhead

• experimentation and failed tests

• communication and admin

One of the recurring themes was how easy it is to undercount time.
Many of us absorb preparation and learning into the background of our practice, rather than recognising them as professional labour.

There was a shared recognition that honest costing is not about inflating prices — but about clarity. When we understand our true costs, we make steadier decisions.

🌿 Building a Balanced Income Model

The conversation then widened into income structures.

Few natural dye practitioners rely on a single stream. Product, workshops, commissions, pigments, collaborations — each plays a role at different times.

We reflected on:

• which streams feel most profitable

• which feel most joyful

• and which feel most stable

Sustainability, we noted, often comes not from scale alone, but from balance.

🌿 Documentation & Professional Standards

The final part of the evening turned to documentation — the quiet backbone of professional practice.

Recording %WOF, pH, temperature, fibre type, seasonal variation.
Keeping swatches.
Tracking plant sources.

Documentation builds repeatability.
Repeatability builds confidence.
Confidence supports pricing.

Several participants shared systems they use — from notebooks to spreadsheets to sample archives and look books — and the conversation highlighted how quality control is not only about consistency, but accountability.

🌿 A Shared Realisation

Perhaps the strongest thread of the evening was this:

Professionalism in natural dyeing is not about scale.
It’s about awareness.

Awareness of time.
Awareness of resources.
Awareness of value.

These conversations continue to reveal how deeply interconnected artistry, sustainability and financial clarity truly are.

Our next Dyeworks session will continue exploring the practical realities behind sustainable dye practice focusing on Health, Safety & Studio Practice.

If you’re working with natural colour and asking these questions yourself — you’re welcome to join us any time! Join the Full Membership