Flower Pressing Process

March 5, 2024

Late Winter, Spring is in the Air

Often, people will ask if the process to press flowers is a difficult one. I think it isn't  difficult, but it does take a lot of time and patience.  Patience is required and can be developed through trial and error, experiments, a slower pace, more trial and error, waiting on flowers to dry in presses and then ending up with beautifully pressed and preserved flowers. The following is a summary of the flower journey, from garden to eventually being used in our art pieces. 

Harvest 

Most pressed flowers that I use are grown in my small garden. I select fresh flowers with vibrant colors and are completely dry before placing them in the press.

A person is wearing a white shirt and is standing in a full green garden of flowers. They are harvesting a yellow flower with cutting shears.They are holding a box which is full of blooming flowers.

Press

I use a wood press and sometimes a book and weight for pressing flowers. The press has a bolt in each corner and is tightened over time by a washer and nut. Recycled paper is used (from my years of teaching) and recycled cardboard is what  is used to 'sandwich' the flower/paper section.

an image of a wood press with bolts, a stack of cardboard and a stack of papers, all siting on a wood floor.
Sequence

There seems to be a common pattern to follow for pressing. I typically use cardboard, a few sheets of paper, the flowers, a few sheets of paper, cardboard, a few sheets of paper, the flowers, and on and on it goes.

A person is sitting with a wood press full of flat colorful pansies on the paper portion. They have fresh colorful pansies in their lap waiting to go into the press. The press has bolts in the corners of the press.

Remove and Redo after 24-36 hours, I unscrew the press, remove all the flowers, damp paper and cardboard and replace them with dry paper and dry cardboard.


Re-Press

Go through the process again, using the same sequencing and tightening the screws over time.

Unpress after 2-4 weeks and sort by palette in the storage drawers.
Two dressers with many drawers are side by side up against a wall. Empty frames which are as large as the dressers are resting on top of the cabinets. A stool sits between the dressers. Each drawer is labeled for a specific type of flower.
Begin creating.
A book is open to a page wtih a sketched hand. There are small pressed flowers falling into the hand and pressed pansies to the side of the page.
    Back to blog

    Leave a comment

    Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.