Try It Yourself: Flower Pounding

Flower Pounding

What you’ll need: Freshly picked flowers, cloth soaked in alum, and a rubber mallet, canvas, staple gun or tape.

1. Dissolve three tablespoons of alum per liter of hot water.

2. Stir until dissolved.

3. Add fabric in hot water.

4. Allow fabric to cool in alum bath.

5. Remove and dry by machine or line dry.

1. Pick your flowers. Small petaled flowers, like begonias, work best, but large rose or poppy petals may work too.

2. Place a piece of parchment on a hard surface.

3. Cut a piece of treated fabric and set your petal design on half.

4. Fold the fabric to sandwich the petals between the two halves.

5. Cover with another piece of parchment and start pounding, holding firmly in place.

6. Continue until you have the amount of pigment that you like.

7. Use different tools to make patterns, such as a hammer with a stippled head to make polka dots.

8. When you are happy with your creation, iron it on the highest setting for five minutes.

9. Makes a perfect wall hanging or gift.

For more information visit www.gardentherapy.ca/ flower-pounding/.