Skip to main content

Drying flowers

 

I tried different methods of drying petals.  I had some flowers sent to me for my birthday.  I couldn't bear to see them just go into the brown garden bin.  I tied them upside down on coat hangers.  I have them hanging in the window.  This is to make the water content in each flower evaporate.  I have had them up for about two weeks now.



I also tried microwaving some petals from my garden.  I personally wouldn't recommend this method.  It is very quick, however after a week, the odour from they was pretty rank.  They all bunched together and did not look very inviting.

I dried the next batch of petals using the traditional method of placing them between paper and under a heavy book.  This took about two weeks.  I was really pleased with the results.  As you can see the comparison, the natural dried petals were so pretty and smelt wonderful.  I have used them in my green paper mixture.


See the difference side by side

 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Starting my journey of making paper at home

L itter picking on a local beach is really where my journey began.  I decided to volunteer with primary school children to collect discarded plastic and the like.  I felt really proud of myself.  I had always wanted to operate a litter picker.  I really didn't expect to find much as I frequented this beach on many occasions and had never noticed things that weren't supposed to be there. W ithin the first few hours we had managed to fill so many bags of rubbish that the local Council sent a vehicle to pick the waste up.  I found a sharps container full used syringes, so many plastic bottles and discarded balloons, bits of plastic that I was shocked. I grew up with the Wombles of Wimbledon, who were ahead of their times.  Picking litter of Wimbledon Common, public funded signs and message telling you to take your litter home.  Under no account drop litter in the streets.  The one items that was commonly seen everywhere was discarded pull ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Making paper and adding Turmeric

  Today I tried adding Turmeric to the pulp before couching (transferring the wet sheets from the mould).  I loved the idea of producing a yellow colour that is natural. The paper has a lovely shade of yellow and the fibres held together well. Holding the paper up to the light I was able to see how transparent it looked. The fibres had bonded well together and I was so excited to see the end product once the paper had fully dried. Paper on frame held up to the light I used the method of putting the mould and deckle into the tub of water and gently lifting it out of the water.  Lots of the water drained away back into the tub of water.  After lifting the deckle out of the water I carefully remove the frame.  This gives the deckle edge that I think is a wonderful look to handmade paper. I lay the pieces out on the window ledges, still on their cloths and waited 24 hours for them to dry out.  Once they had dried, I ironed them with a cool iron t...
Post a Comment
Read more

My first attempt

I made a screen using small chicken wire and a old picture frame.  I used packing tape to secure the edges. I used recycled newspaper, after squeezing out as much water turned the paper onto a tea towel Leaving to dry overnight on a window ledge.  The paper was thick and brittle and very grey. The deckle that I had made broke and I was not impressed with the thickness of the paper or the look and feel.  It was back to the drawing board to try something else.  
Post a Comment
Read more