Why did my Tie Dye Die? An Update

It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of summer. It always feels like such a time of change, and for me I began some changes many months ago. A couple of years ago I would have been elbow deep in cotton, silk and dye creating some special pieces with colors and patterns symbolic of some theme I had imagined. Not this season, in fact not even this year. If you have been following my Instagram, you know I have been doing other things and prioritizing my health and family.

Creating tie-dyed and hand dyed pieces is and was a wonderful way for me to express my creativity and combined love for fashion. I unfortunately had to stop.

I stopped for a few reasons:

The process is such a physical process it was creating an enormous wear and tear on my body. Particularly my hands and back but mostly my hands. The dyeing process requires finite motor movements when tying and preparing, as well as strength and repetitive use. As you know I was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's Diseases which affects my hands and progressively worsens over time. Dyeing garments was an extremely painful, difficult and at times frustrating process. It became less fun and more hard work over time, as well it made my symptoms worse.

The process also included an extraordinary amount of waste, more than I thought it would. The amount of water and electricity I used was extraordinary…no matter how I tried to streamline the process.

The cost. I was losing money with every creation. The cost of the garment, the dyes, the packaging the shipping: with just those items I was losing money. Each item took at least 4 hours of individual hands-on time, so my time cost wasn’t even accounted for. So for me to even break even in cost, my items would have been priced out of any reasonable range.

With all of that  I decided to let the Tie Dye Die and close that shop. Even the resale side of the business became less fun and a ton of work, so I decided to just say good night to both sides of the business.

If you have one of my pieces, I hope you enjoy it! I have so few pieces myself; I regret I didn’t keep a few. Hopefully when the whim arises I can pull out the dyes and make some fun things for myself and for gifts.

And for those of you who did purchase my pieces, repost, comment, share or like my efforts I would like to THANK YOU for all of your support. It was a lot of fun doing this together, and we were also able to donate some money to some great causes along the way.

It was all incredibly fulfilling for me personally no matter how short lived, and having that connection with you was the best part.

I hope you’ll stay in touch. Pamela