Sunday, October 10, 2010

Passionflower Pressing Procedure

Isn't this an exquisite passionflower?

One might want to preserve such a flower, but the flower is a bit too thick and a bit too moist. And so the dissecting begins.


First, cut off that little triangle thing on the top and set it aside.


Then cut off the yellow star looking thing.


You may put those two parts in a flower press.


Now this is what you're working with.


Flip it over and cut down into the back, removing the thick circle. This takes out extra thickness and moisture.

Like this.
You can throw away the circle you've pulled out.


Now there is a hole that you can see through in the middle. It will be covered after it's pressed and your re-assemble the flower.


Now you're ready to put all the pieces in a press the way you would any other flower, with the exception being that you should also put some desiccant board in the press with them. I think it pulls extra moisture from the flowers.
After they're all pressed and dried you can glue the three pieces back together again, and you'll have a pressed passionflower.

3 comments:

  1. I knew how to press pansies and such, and I knew how to dry roses, but I'd often wondered how to deal with the flowers that didn't seem suitable for either drying or pressing, like the passionflower. Thank you for the tutorial! Have you used passionflower in many of your pieces?

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  2. Thank you for the comment. I haven't used many passionflowers in my work so far.

    I have friends who press all sorts of hard to press things. Some of them press in the refrigerator, in silica gel, some even sand their flowers.

    The idea of pressing gerbera daisy, as some do, blows me away.

    Sarah

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  3. fabulous job . can't wait to see how you use it.thanks for sharing.

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