The making

Every Helia piece passes through the same journey, from the moment a maker receives her materials to the moment the proceeds are shared. This is what that journey looks like, and why it is built to work for her.

Cyanotype maker guide Fabric print maker guide

  1. Materials, given freely

    Helia provides the materials needed to begin: coated paper or prepared fabric, tags, instructions. There is no cost and no risk to the maker in taking part.

  2. An agreement, and a first payment

    Before any piece is made, maker and Helia agree on what will be delivered. A small pre-payment follows straight away, so the maker is paid for her time and effort regardless of how the finished pieces turn out.

  3. Making, in her own time

    Each project uses a technique suited to sunlight or to fabric and thread. The details differ by project, see the projects page for how each craft works. What stays the same is the rhythm: work that can be picked up and put down, fitted around the rest of a maker's day.

  4. Delivery, and a second payment

    Once the work is delivered, Helia pays a second amount. This reflects the quality of the pieces, but quality here is not about perfection or competition between makers. A visible hand, a personal touch, honest effort: these are valued, not corrected away.

  5. A quality check, both ways

    In the Netherlands, the pieces are checked and prepared for their final form. Feedback goes back to the maker, so she can see how her work was received. Feedback also comes back to Helia: makers shape how the process improves over time.

  6. Cutting and finishing

    Organizers in the Netherlands cut the final pieces from each full print, and turn them into finished, ready-to-give products, each with its own unique ID.

  7. Selling, and covering costs

    Pieces are sold, mostly to businesses that want to carry work with a story. The proceeds first cover Helia's running costs, nothing more.

  8. What's left, shared onward

    Whatever remains is shared: with the maker's community, with a local charity where she lives, and with sustaining and growing Helia's future projects. No part of it goes to anyone's personal pocket.

Projects