I was really excited to put flowers in the press and see how they turned out.
I selected a few zinnias, because they were plentiful, and got started.
I layered brown paper and paper towels around my flowers and leaves, following the instructions in the book.
I waited for six weeks while the flowers dried and flattened.
When I opened the press, this is what I found....
Apparently, something went wrong. It looks like the thickest parts in the center molded.
Thankfully, there are still some flowers blooming, so, I set up another batch. We will see how they turn out in about six weeks. :)
That's too bad your flowers didn't turn out well! I've found that pressing flowers can be tricky at times. Usually the ones I've found that do the best are small flowers, and/or flowers that have thin petals such as Pansies. Even then, I usually have trouble with them fading some of their color after I remove them from the press. It's still fun experimenting with different flowers, though!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment, Sunshine Country!
DeleteI hadn't even thought of how the colors might fade after the flowers have been pressed. Do you think how they fade has anything to do with how they are stored, like exposure to sunlight or temperature?
I'm really not sure what the cause would be for the flowers fading...maybe I didn't let mine completely dry before removing them from the press. I made one into a bookmark once; it was pretty much constantly between the pages of my Bible, so I don't think it was the sunlight causing it to fade. I've had some to turn out really well, and stay bright for a long time, (I think orange Pansies were my best ones) while others faded quite a bit. It might be interesting to look up a little more how to preserve them better!
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