Pressing flowers may not be something that is done daily, but what if the urge were to strike. What would be the materials that were needed and what would be the step to take so that the flowers were pressed correctly? Or is there even a correct way to press them? Hopefully these questions will be answered in a few easy steps.
When pressing flowers, several materials will be needed. None of these are expensive, actually most of them are free and just laying around the house. Of course the first thing that will have to be gotten will be the flowers that are going to be pressed and any other plant parts that may be used. After deciding on flowers, the rest of the materials should be gathered up. This includes a very large telephone book, facial tissue, acid free paper and a pencil. Thats all. Oh and if pressing flowers is important while on the road one of those paper real estate or motel/hotel directories can be used instead of a huge phone book.
Before beginning the process of pressing flowers or even gathering the necessary materials, the flowers to be pressed will have to be collected. It is best to collect the flowers when they are dry. Let the dew, or any other moisture, dissipate before collection of the flower, but before the heat of the day sets in and wilts the flowers. Usually only the flower is desired, but foliage and part of the root can be interesting and useful. The collected flowers and any foliage or roots can be stored in the refrigerator or in an ice cooler with ice until ready to use. This will keep them from wilting after they have been collected.
The next step is to flatten the flowers out. Remove the petals from the thick center core of the flower if needed in order to flatten the flower. At this time, also flatten some of the foliage that was with the flower even if you do not plan on using it in the project you have planned for the pressed flower. Fingers can be used when actually pressing the flowers and/or the foliage if needed.
The third step involved with pressing flowers involves the steps to take if you happen to be on the road when the urge hits. Traveling exposes a person to many flowers and most of them would make very pretty pressed flowers to use in a project. If this happens, simply collect the flower, press it flat and place it between the pages of the real estate or motel/hotel directory that was in your hotel room. The pressed flowers can be transfered to a larger book, such as a big phone book when the trip is over. Adding weight to the directory will aid in the pressing process. Surely you can figure out how to get some weight on the directory with the flat flower inside.
Step four involves the flattened flower and/or foliage, facial tissue and a large phone book. Simply place the flattened flower in a facial tissue, fold the tissue and place the tissue with the flattened flower into the phone book. This process can be repeated several times throughout the book, being careful to skip several pages between flowers. The facial tissue allows for an easier transfer of the pressed flower.
The last step is to transfer the facial tissue containing the pressed flower to another large telephone book. Placing the flower between the pages of the telephone book removes the moisture from the flower. Repeat the transfer process once more, making three times, then leave the pressed flower alone to finish drying.
After the pressed flower is completely dry it is ready to be removed from the large telephone book and be used for various projects.
