Introduction
Your first eco-print, from choosing the leaves to the reveal.
- Group
- 3 to 4 people
- Time
- About 3 to 4 hours
- You take home
- One piece you printed yourself
€97per person
Book the IntroductionRequest a date
Botanical eco-printing workshops · Santa Cruz, Madeira
Print Madeira’s leaves onto fabric
Ophira and Hagar, mother and daughter, teach eco-printing in their studio in Santa Cruz.
€97 per person · About 3 to 4 hours · No experience needed · In English or Portuguese
Skip the story
- Up to ninety minutes in the steam.
- Untie the string.
- Unroll it slowly.
- The leaves you picked are still on the cloth.
- Lift them off, one by one.
- The leaves left their colour behind.No two prints ever come out the same.
Leave your mark.
What we’ll do together
About 3 to 4 hours, with your hands in the leaves for much of it and a long coffee while your bundle steams.
1 · 15 to 20 min
Welcome
We show you around and tell you how a mother and daughter started printing with leaves.
2
Gather your leaves
Out to the garden to choose them. If it’s raining, we use the ones we keep in the studio.
3
Arrange the leaves
On damp fabric, at a table of your own. Take your time: this is where your piece takes shape.
4 · 60 to 90 min
Roll and steam
You roll it tight and tie it. It goes into the steam, and we sit down for coffee.
5
The reveal
Untie it, unroll it, lift the leaves off. Have your phone ready. The print goes home with you.
Times are approximate.
Choose your workshop
Family
The whole family works on one large piece together.
- Group
- Up to 7 people
- Time
- About 3 to 4 hours
- You take home
- One shared piece
€350per workshop
Book a Family workshopRequest a family date
Private
Just you, or the two of you, on a day that suits you.
- Group
- 1 to 2 people
- Time
- About 3 to 4 hours
Easy to fit around a first or last day on the island.
€260per workshop
Book a Private workshopRequest a private date
Coming soon
Advanced · Print on silk or linen, with backgrounds dyed from plants. €150 per person. We suggest doing the Introduction first.
Tell me when it opensTell me when it opensPrices include all taxes.
Landing today or flying home tomorrow?
The studio is in Santa Cruz, the same town as the airport, so a workshop fits around a flight without a long drive across the island. With a Private workshop, you can ask for the day and time that suit your flight.
See datesAsk for a date near your flightRain in the forecast?
Apart from picking leaves in the garden, everything happens indoors. If it’s too wet outside, we use leaves we gathered on drier days. Keep your clear days for the levadas and come to us when the clouds come down.
See this week’s datesAsk for a date this week
Ophira and Hagar
TRACE is the two of us, Ophira and Hagar, mother and daughter.
We wanted to live closer to nature, and one day, at a local market, we came across botanical eco-printing. After that we started gathering leaves and flowers and steaming bundles in the garden. The prints became pillowcases and scarves.
Later we began hosting workshops. Now we teach in our studio in Santa Cruz, where our own pieces hang on the walls.
Ophira and Hagar
Good to know
The leaves come from our garden
In Santa Cruz. Your print keeps a little of this place and this season.
You don’t need to draw or sew
If you can lay a leaf on fabric, you can do this.
A grey day doesn’t cancel anything
The printing happens indoors, and we keep leaves in the studio for wet days.
From our walls and shelves
Every piece is printed with leaves in our studio, so no two are the same.
Scarves
Short, long, narrow and wide
Cushions
Square, in 45, 50 and 60 cm
Bags
Handbags in two sizes and a shoulder bag
Prints
Small, medium and large
We also make table runners, placemats and tablecloths. Write to us and we’ll send photos of what’s in the studio now, with prices.
Give someone this moment
A voucher for a workshop. They choose the date, print their own piece and take it home.
Find us in Santa Cruz
The studio is at Caminho Ribeiro Louro 77, in Santa Cruz, on Madeira’s south-east coast, east of Funchal. Santa Cruz is the town where the airport is.
Caminho Ribeiro Louro 779100-197 Santa Cruz
Madeira, Portugal
- By car
- From Funchal, take the VR1 east towards the airport and Santa Cruz.
- By taxi
- Taxis wait in Funchal and at the airport. Show the driver the address above.
What to wear and bring
- Wear clothes you don’t mind marking. Plant colour can stain.
- You don’t need to bring anything else. Fabric, leaves, tools and coffee are ready for you.
- If you have allergies or need anything, tell us before you come.
- Bring your phone or a camera for the reveal.
Before you come
Do I need any experience?
No. We show you each step. If you can lay a leaf on fabric, you can do this.
How long does it take?
About 3 to 4 hours. That includes 60 to 90 minutes of coffee and conversation while your bundle steams.
What do I take home?
The piece you printed.
How many people are in a group?
The Introduction is for 3 to 4 people. The Family workshop is for up to 7, and the Private is for 1 or 2.
Can children take part?
Yes, always with an adult. The Family workshop is made for families. Tell us the children's ages when you ask for a date.
What if it rains?
The workshop goes ahead. The printing happens indoors, and we keep leaves in the studio for wet days.
Which languages do you teach in?
English and Portuguese.
How do I get there from Funchal or the airport?
The studio is in Santa Cruz, the same town as the airport, east of Funchal. We send full directions when we confirm your date.
What does the €97 cover?
About 3 to 4 hours in a small group with one of us beside you, the fabric, the leaves and the steaming, coffee, and the finished piece you take home. Prices include all taxes.
Can I choose my own date?
Yes. Tell us which dates suit you and we’ll reply with a date. For Private and Family workshops, if the first day is taken, we’ll try to find another.
Can I buy a piece without doing a workshop?
Yes. Write to us and we’ll send photos of what’s in the studio, with prices.
Something else?Message us
Come and print with us
Pick a date, and we’ll have the leaves ready. Introduction workshop: €97 per person, about 3 to 4 hours.