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Instructables user BuildMakeCraftBake has a how-to up on this interesting technique for transferring plant pigments to paper by hammering them. She writes:
The vibrant colors of leaves and flowers are easy to preserve by pounding them to release their natural dyes onto paper. I learned this fun and simple technique from my college roommate, Sarah, but it's been around a lot longer -- I hear that Cherokee women pounded flowers to decorate fabric. With not much more than a hammer and some leaves, you can make beautiful botanical cards or prints and enjoy spring greenery year-round. Who knew that venting your frustrations could have such aesthetically pleasing results?
As soon as I read this I knew I had to try it.
I want to use this technique to dye fabrics, so I have been testing a variety of flowers and foliage from my yard on a piece of white muslin. I have found that weeds work better than cultivated plants, generally. I have also found that a rubber mallet works better than a regular hammer. It allows for more detail. Now that I have a few favorites I just have to test to see which ones will hold up through laundering.
Thanks again for a great idea!
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I know from when I was a kid that geranium blossoms have a vibrant, colorful juice in them that can be smushed into fabric.
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