How to Press Flowers for Craft Projects
Preserve Pretty Summer Blooms for Winter Hobby Activities
May 28, 2009
Pressing flowers is an enjoyable hobby, something everyone can do, no matter their age. It's easy to get started and costs very little.
A variety of different flowers can be collected in the spring and summer months, then pressed and stored away to be used in future crafting projects, such as adding a floral trim to dress up a household object or for making a pressed flower picture.
Some of the best flowers to use in pressed flower art are as close as the backyard. Pick and press flowers as they become available.
Once pressed, preserved flowers make a charming embellishment for different surfaces. Their delicate beauty adds an exquisite touch to pressed flower crafts.
Materials for Flower Pressing
- Thick catalogs
- Plain paper
- Large books for additional weight
- Scissors
Choosing the Best Flowers to Press
- It's best to choose smaller flowers that press easily
- Avoid flowers with dense centers because these will be harder to flatten
- Choose flowers with thin petals
- Select flowers during a dry period when petals aren't covered with dew
- Collect small stems, flat leaves and ferns for use in pressed flower pictures
Flowers that Press Easily
A number of flowers are suitable for pressing and retain their color when dried. Delicate papery flowers make the best specimens for use in pressed flower art.
- Violas
- Pansies
- Bluebells
- Sweet peas
- Forget-me-nots
- Hydrangeas
- Poppies
- Mallows
How to Press Flowers
- Gather flowers, discarding any bruised petals and trimming ragged edges
- Cut stems to desired length
- Select the first catalog opening pages towards the back
- Lay a piece of paper on the catalog page
- Arrange an assortment of flowers and greenery on the paper, making sure that specimens do not touch, overlap or stick out past catalog pages
- Place samples towards the center and the inner part of the page
- Cover flowers with another piece of paper
- Turn catalog pages to cover the first batch of flowers
- Continue, sandwiching flowers between sheets of paper, then turning catalog pages to cover each section
- Fill each catalog
- Store catalog in a safe place, away from heavy traffic areas, stacking catalog one on top of the other. Place books on top for additional weight
- Bricks may be added to provide additional weight for flower pressing
- Wait a couple of months to ensure that flowers are thoroughly flattened and dried
One of the nicest aspects of pressing flowers is that these add a welcome splash of color when gardens and yards are blanketed in snow. A pressed flower craft project can help to brighten winter days: pressed flower art objects can be used to decorate the home or for Christmas gift giving.
Fans, picture frames, candles and trays can be decorated with dried, pressed flowers. Pressed flower pictures and homemade pressed flower cards are popular items.
Pressing flowers is a rewarding hobby that affords crafters enjoyment of florals year round.
Creative Crafting
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