Wildflowers
NATURAL DYES
Natural dyes are in SUFi’s dna. All the way from the first few dye plants in Sophie’s garden, we have been researching, experimenting and enjoying all the wonderful possibilities that natural dyes offer. Natural dyes come from many unexpected sources: from the discarded avocado pits and peels of our local burrito shop to the papery onion peels that the local vegetable farmer keeps aside for us.
WILDFLOWER GARDEN
In 2024, we were able to take this journey to the next level. The municipality of Maastricht allocated a spot next to the studio for a wildflower garden. The plan was to make a wildflower garden with a double function: firstly, to benefit life above and below ground - from the worms and the bees to the neighbours. And secondly, to provide flowers for dyeing and printing textiles.
PLANT MAGIC
Of course, we should have expected that the flowers would put their own magical touch upon this plan. Even before the flowers started blooming, hardly a day passed without a neighbour telling us how much they enjoyed the initiative. Often, we saw people just standing in front of the garden soaking in its delights. Our favorite moment was when we arrived to find a young girl sitting underneath a tree nearby, painting the flowers.
REGENERATION
We use the flowers to host eco-printing workshops for the neighbourhood. We use no-dig methods to give soil life the chance to flourish. We plant a mix of annuals and perennials, mostly native species. Many of these species are attractive to bees, butterflies and other insects. The fence was built from locally sourced willow, also during a workshop.
As you can probably tell, we are quite grateful for this project and we can’t wait to continue this journey in the years to come.
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Many thanks to Burgerbegroting Maastricht, Elisabeth Strouven Fonds and Boeken voor Mensen for believing in the project and making it possible financially. 
