The Home of Eco-Printing South Africa
Nature designed it, we simply refine it!
Eco printing is also commonly known as botanical printing or contact printing but what is it?
Eco printing is a natural dyeing technique that transfers the actual shape, colour, and tannins of leaves and flowers directly onto fabric — no synthetic dyes, no printers, no two results ever quite the same. Plant material is arranged onto prepared cloth, rolled or bundled tightly, and then steamed or simmered so that heat and moisture release the leaf’s natural pigments straight onto the fibres. What’s left behind, once you unwrap the bundle, is a one-of-a-kind botanical print: the leaf’s own silhouette, veins and all, captured in colour that came from nothing but the plant itself.
To find out more about the process which consists of nine important steps, click here
No two prints are ever the same — and that’s exactly the point.
Founder of The Fickle Leaf Studio
Petro de Klerk
I am a grandmother of six, and some of my greatest joys come from the simple, meaningful things in life, time spent in nature, and working with beautiful fabrics.
My journey into eco-printing grew from this love. What started as a quiet curiosity soon became a daily practice exploring the magic held within leaves , bark and flowers.
Each Plant has its own voice, its own story to tell-and I find deep fulfillment in discovering how those stories unfold on cloth.
For me, eco-printing is more than a creative process. It is the gentle rhythm that keeps me connected to the natural world, to the seasons, and to a slower, more intentional way of living. Every piece I create carries that connection-a moment in time, captured through nature’s imprint
This journey continues to inspire me, to teach me, and to keep me exploring…one leaf at a time
My Mission
My mission is simple: get as many people as possible hooked on eco printing. I’m not interested in keeping this craft a well-guarded secret — I want every student who walks into a workshop to leave a little obsessed, ready to bundle their own leaves at home and pass the excitement on to the next person. For me, teaching isn’t a side note to the business; it’s the whole point. Every workshop, every supply kit, and every piece in the shop exists to pull more people into this strange, satisfying craft — one leaf, one print, one convert at a time.
Our Story
Fickle Leaf Studio began with a simple obsession: pressing a leaf onto fabric and watching it leave behind a print no dye bath or printer could ever replicate. Every eucalyptus, rose, and fern tells its own story in colour — shaped by the season, the soil, and a little bit of chance.
That unpredictability is where the name comes from. Leaves are fickle. They shift with the weather, the water, the mordant, the mood of the day. We’ve built a studio — and a community — around embracing that instead of fighting it.
Today, Fickle Leaf Studio is home to three things: eco-printed textiles and homeware made by hand, the natural dyeing and printing supplies to make your own, and workshops that teach the craft from first leaf to finished piece. Whether you’re here to buy a piece of wearable art, stock your own studio, or learn the process yourself, you’ve found South Africa’s home of eco printing.
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