Packaging

For a long time packaging for my natural dyes has caused me headaches! I have used, as do most sellers, the ubiquitous polythene bags, bacause they are simple to get, reasonably priced and do a job. Sadly I find they do not do it well enough, but it seems to be what people expect. One of the issues is that people seem to like to see what they are buying - the plant matter, chopped up and shredded as it is, it's what they like to see, some because they can recognise what they are looking at and others because they want to KNOW what they are looking at.

I had a small flurry with the corn starch packaging - the enivironmental issue of polythene does bother me, sadly the corn starch is just not up to the job. Some of the chopped plant matter was OK, but lots of it found that the corn starch seemed to have an osmotic effect and water was actively encouraged into the packet from the atmosphere - not good!

One of the first things I wanted when I moved here was a dye store. I now have one! It is completely self contained, dry and cool. I can keep all my dye containers in one place and it is set up so that I can do all the bagging in there. I have professional scales, I have some laboratory standard calibration weights to ensure that my scales stay accurate, it is all important. BUT the most important thing really is THE DYESTUFF!

Over the years I have developed relationships with suppliers that I know will supply me with a quality product. I work with these dyes on a regular basis, so I know what I expect of them. If I expect the best - surely my customers do too?

Sooooo I have been looking for packaging that will work. Not everyone can do the dyeing immediately, so they need to know that the packet they have bought will look after what is inside until such time as they are able to use it. Dyestuff as with herbs should be kept in the dark and cool and dry to help it keep its qualities.

The new packets are brown paper, they have a polyfoil lining, they are still grip seal, but are also heat sealed, so until you open the packet there is a double protection there stopping the air get into the pack. The brown paper ensures the light isn't getting in and the polyfoil lining stops any exterior reactions from happening and NO atmospheric water should get in there at all.

Labelling has also been an issue. Working as I do across Europe it is difficult to label to keep everyone happy. So the labels now use the Latin name of the dyeplant as the main name. Everyone that uses natural dyes should be able to recognise the names and newcomers have a choice of English, German, Franch and Italian common names to look at to find the name they recognise. Oh and they haven't affected the price, that is dictated by the cost of the dyestuff to me!

I hope this meets with the approval of my customers, but I do feel so much happier about it and more content about my product!

More on Cream of Tartar

A quick update on Cream of Tartar - we have now heard back from Waitrose - their "Waitrose Cook's Ingredients" Cream of tartar is again Potassium Bitartrate.

I wonder where the "substitute" is going to eventually turn up! I also wonder WHAT it is, as I still haven't found anything!!

Health and Fitness

I have always thought of myself as a very healthy person - and reasonably fit, although recently I have gained some of the "middle aged spread" and definitely feel my age after a day in the dyehouse carrying heavy pans and buckets of liquid around. I decided in February that I really need to do something about it - I don't feel right! Not that long ago I would have gone for a walk round the "big block" ie 5 miles, without batting an eyelid, now the "little block" of 2 miles can seem daunting (well OK the winter weather hasn't helped.... but you get the picture!) So I decided to join the gym in Denbigh. Great, but then you have to fit it into the day - if I go at 7.30 in the morning it's reasonable, if I go at 2.30 in the afternoon it's reasonable at any other time I've tried it's hectic!!! 7.30 doesn't allow me to go to the Post Office and do other jobs, so 2.30 makes more sense, but on a dyeing day you can't just walk away from the pots!!! What this means is I'm not getting into a routine and I really want to!

I had news recently of a fellow natural dyer who is seriously ill with bladder cancer - the prognosis does not sound good at all, I am truly sorry to hear that and wish her all the best, but it's made me realize that we are not immune to what we do and I need to keep myself healthy and take precautions with all the different chemicals that "natural dyes" require! There is some speculation I understand as to whether what she has done as an occupation may have been a cause. That is a very scary thought!

One thing I am careful about is using rubber gloves, but sometimes putting the dust mask on can seem un-necessary and I'll skip it - then when my nose starts running I regret it. From now on I'm not going to do any "skipping" with health and safety!

When I write dyeing instructions I always start with the "Serious bit" it is something I am aware of and try to emphasise, but I think what has struck me most is that these things creep up on you - I would have pooh-poohed someone telling me I'd think twice about walking the "big block", but I can talk myself out of it very easily now! I hope that anyone taking up natural dyeing as a hobby will always bear in mind that these products are not play things - even though they come from natural sources. Chemicals are chemicals whatever their source, some are more harmful than others, but all should be treated with respect.

This seems quite a heavy post - for that I'm sorry, but the news was not nice.............