DIY Pressed Flower Tutorial
Here's an affordable DIY Project for your weekend - Making Pressed Flowers, which is an ancient art form. Botanists from both the Greek and Roman periods were known to preserve plants using techniques that continue today.
Are you ready to get creative with us? :)
How to make your own pressed flowers?
[ PREPARE FOR PRESSING ]
Choosing the right flowers is essential. Recommend to use blooms that are naturally flat in structure, such as pansies, daisies and violets. Preferably not yet in full bloom stage. You should also keep the flowers clean and dry for best results.
To maintain the vibrancy of colour once pressed, condition your flowers first:
- Submerge the stems in water as soon as you can.
- While underwater, cut the tips of the stems at 45 degree angle for optimum water absorption.
- Transfer the flowers into a clean vase with water.
Note: Pollen tends to stain your petals, so you should snip the stamens of pollen-heavy flowers, such as lilies.
[ PRESSING TECHNIQUES ]
BOOK PRESSING:
It is the most traditional way of flower pressing, and is also the simplest because we don’t need any specialised equipment. Simply sandwich your flowers in between the pages OR between two sheets of absorbent paper with a stack of books / or weights placed on top.
It is best to use a book with absorbent pages, such as the phone book, as glossy pages won’t be able to absorb the moisture well. Leave the flowers for seven to ten days.
IRONING:
For a speedier approach, sandwich your flowers between two sheets of absorbent paper and lie flat on an ironing board. Note: Empty your iron of water and set on a low setting without steam. Gently press the iron on top of the paper for 10 seconds, without moving it. Allow to cool for 10 seconds. Repeat this until the flowers are dry.
MAKING A FLOWER PRESSER:
Create your own flower presses using ceramic tiles or wooden boards lined with absorbent paper and then held together with rubber bands.
LET'S DISPLAY THEM!
Once you are done, it's time to get creative with displaying them! A great way to showcase would be framing up the flowers in monochrome glass frame and place them around the floors or hang on walls in your house.
