Did anyone see the TV show, Simply Quilts and how they pounded flowers onto fabric? They are gorgeous! You have to wash the sizing out of the fabric by washing in aluminum sulfate. You put the pretty side of a flower down on white fabric, tape it down with wide masking tape, turn it over, and with a board underneath the fabric, pound on the backside with a hammer and the colored juices cover the fabric until there's no white left. Turn it back over, remove the tape, there's a gorgeous imprint of the flower!
Keep doing this with other flowers to make a bouquet shape. You can also do fern leaves and green leaves around the edges. You can use a fine permanent marker to outline the flowers and petals to make a little more definition, use a warm iron (not hot) to heat set it, and it's a pretty bouquet pattern. They are not permanent, so it will fade if washed, but it could be framed or made into a quilt, a decorative pillow.
These can be pounded onto straw hats, even furniture (then sealed), watercolor paper for stationery.
Wow! That looks very interesting, and very beautiful. I think I remember Buffalogal talking about pounding flowers, but I don't remember what she said about it anymore. I might have to think about trying this!
thanks for posting this.I had never heard of it before, but the results look beautiful! I wonder though, since the flower juice is not waterproof, why go through all that trouble preparing the fabric? Just take the fabric and pound away!
Hey, I remember seeing that show too. I try to catch it if I'm home in the morning. I'm guessing there are some flowers that work a lot better than others.
I think it would be fun to do a "study of leaves" that way. Uh oh, creative juices flowing again. Must be spring!
Hmmm, and since they're not very washable, how about decoupaging the the fabric onto something once you're done pounding.
Message was edited by: topofthehill
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tulips 4 buddy at yahoo dot com
Posts: 1780 | Location: Zone 4 Central South Dakota | Registered: June 20, 2002
They put sizing (a chemical coating) on most fabrics to protect the warp yarns during the weaving process, it washes out easily in the first wash, but since it's a protective coating, the dyes of any sort cannot bond well with the fabric.
And lately I've heard in China and other countries that are now making a lot of textiles they use formaldehyde on some of them...yuck!!! I used to get clothing from some very nice stores online, but they are now making their clothing out of fabric from Bangladesh and China, and these fabrics are awful. They claim to be polyester or blends, but they are very different from the polyesters made in this country, and heaven knows what's on them!
---------------------- Life goes on within you and without you - George Harrison
Posts: 554 | Location: desperately protecting 2 acres from the critters, coastal California | Registered: February 11, 2002
I always wash any fabric before I sew with it, and clothes before wearing them, as the stuff they coat fabric with really irritates my nose and face. If I forget, I'm itching and rubbing and have to stop and wash my face over and over....
As for the flower pounding... I wonder if it would work if one gently pressed onto an art paper? Maybe make some cool "paintings" that are really pressings? Maybe the paper wouldn't stand up the the pounding tho'....
The wildflowers around here are blooming so prolifically, I really should go pick some of them and try this soon!
They did say in that show to use watercolor paper, which is more absorbent and doesn't have any kind of repellent finish on it, and it did look wonderful!! Let us know how it goes!
---------------------- Life goes on within you and without you - George Harrison
Posts: 554 | Location: desperately protecting 2 acres from the critters, coastal California | Registered: February 11, 2002
No, you don't have to do anything because the pounding with the hammer flattens those suckers!! They were using petunias, ferns, smaller flowers. I'm not sure what would happen if you pounded a rose, but it might come out really interesting!
---------------------- Life goes on within you and without you - George Harrison
Posts: 554 | Location: desperately protecting 2 acres from the critters, coastal California | Registered: February 11, 2002
Went for a drive yesterday, thinking of picking some wildflowers and the flowers on the road I took were pretty much done blooming. I guess I'll have to try flowers from my garden instead.
I guess I'll have to try flowers from my garden instead. 
