The Art of Flower Pressing
Not much brings more joy than a bunch of fresh flowers, blooming with fragrant blossoms, whether as a celebration, a declaration of love, or simply a cheerful decoration to remind us of the beauty of nature. But these pretty posies don’t have to become a fleeting sentiment when the petals start to wilt — we’ve turned to the age-old art of flower pressing to make sure these memories last a lifetime.
Flower pressing has been a popular pastime for centuries, from Victorian ladies creating pictures adorned with ribbons and lace, to botanists chronicling their findings in scrapbooks filled with newly-discovered species. Nowadays, flower pressing tends to be saved for only wedding bouquets, but we’d like to bring back this humble hobby — after all, it’s so easy to do! All you need is a few things to hand, and a good dose of patience.
How to Press Flowers
YOU’LL NEED:
Fresh flowers
A heavy book (like an encyclopedia)
Baking parchment
A weight (a big stone from the garden will do)
METHOD:
1.Line two pages (the middle spread is best) of your heavy book with a sheet of baking parchment.
2.Trim your flower stems and pluck any leaves you don’t want to press.
3. Arrange them on one side of the parchment paper (make sure the flowers are relatively clean and dry).
4. Close the book and place a weight on top. Leave it undisturbed for at least a week.
5. Once your flowers are papery and completely dry, you can remove them and use them as you wish — perhaps taped gently into scrapbook or a journal, or pressed behind glass in a picture frame.
Our designers are always inspired by the beauty of flowers every single season. In our latest collection you’ll find daisies, ditsy florals and traditional rhododendron prints to transform your wardrobe into a meadow of flowers.
Olwen Pierce-Smith
26.07.2020 at 07:12Blotting paper tends to work better as it soaks up any moisture ….. And don’t expect many of the flowers to stay the same colour (some turn a yellow brown shade). A great idea is to get children to grow something like violas, clovers, buttercups and then once in bloom they can pick, press, scrapbook. Use together with a photo of them planting the original seeds. Frame the photo with a surround where they can arrange a few of their pressed flowers. Lovely memories.
Norma Bunting
26.07.2020 at 07:53Thinking of what to do next as a project and this is perfect, thanks.
Mary Taylor
26.07.2020 at 09:19How lovely