{"id":47453,"date":"2015-06-04T09:10:07","date_gmt":"2015-06-04T13:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/?p=47453"},"modified":"2015-06-04T09:10:07","modified_gmt":"2015-06-04T13:10:07","slug":"flower-pounding-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2015\/06\/flower-pounding-technique.html","title":{"rendered":"flower pounding technique"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A few months ago I read a fascinating book called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/The-Little-Spark-Ignite-Creativity\/dp\/1607059606\" target=\"_blank\">The Little Spark &#8211; 30 Ways to Ignite Your Creativity<\/a> by Carrie Bloomston. The author just happens to be a fabric designer, too, by the way. Anyway, it\u2019s a great interactive workbook for igniting creativity that includes inspiring exercises and images to get you out of any creative funk. If you haven\u2019t read it yet, you should! One idea she mentions in the book is to take classes, she suggests to look online for craft or community education classes. That piece of advice motivated me to sign up for something that I\u2019d never tried before. I took a flower pounding class and loved it! I can\u2019t wait to share the results of my flower pounded fabric with you and how I created it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpoundingTITLE.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47468\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpoundingTITLE-548x800.jpg\" alt=\"Oliver + S Hide-and-Seek Dress with flower-pounded yoke\" width=\"548\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpoundingTITLE-548x800.jpg 548w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpoundingTITLE-188x275.jpg 188w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpoundingTITLE.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 548px) 100vw, 548px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Flower pounding technique<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pounding is just one way to extract beautiful colors from plants. You can use the colors found in flowers, as dyes to create stunning and unique printed fabric. You simply use a hammer to release the flower pigments into the fabric. This is really quite an uncomplicated technique, if you can hammer a nail, you can do this.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Supplies and tools<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Very few tools and supplies are needed. Here\u2019s what you need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>flowers<\/li>\n<li>hammer with a flat metal head<\/li>\n<li>cotton fabric<\/li>\n<li>cutting board<\/li>\n<li>paper towel or Japanese sketch paper<\/li>\n<li>towel (optional)<\/li>\n<li>ear plugs (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ideal fabric to use for this project would be natural fibers as they absorb better. I would suggest cotton. The cotton should be pretreated with a substance called a mordant because it\u2019ll be easier for the fabric to absorb pigments from the dye.<\/p>\n<p>Run the fabric through the washer and dryer. Then place it in a mordant, an alum bath which consists of 1 cup alum and 4 tablespoons cream of tartar in a huge pot of hot water for 15-30 minutes. Dry and iron your fabric piece, then it\u2019s ready.<\/p>\n<p>The process is relatively straightforward: take a flower, place it on fabric, cover it with a paper towel, and hammer away. First gather some poundable flowers, I used deep blue pansies.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47469\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding1-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Deep blue pansies for flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding1-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding1-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Next up, prepare a hammering surface with a cutting board on top of towel. <\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The towel serves as a noise reducer and helps prevent the cutting board from sliding around.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47470\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding2-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Hammering surface for flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding2-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding2-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding2.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On top of the cutting board place the piece of fabric, for my project I used muslin. Remove the petals from the flowers and place them face down on top of the fabric.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47471\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding3-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding3-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding3-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now onto the covering materials. You can use a paper towel or try some Japanese sketch paper like I did.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47472\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding4-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese sketch paper\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding4-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding4-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding4.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Place the Japanese sketch paper bumpy side down on top of the flower petals.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47473\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding5-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Covering material for flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding5-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding5-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding5.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hammer away! You might want to wear ear plugs at this point because the hammering can get really loud.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding6.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47474\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding6-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding6-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding6-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding6.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The results are instant. The hammered images will appear on both the fabric and the Japanese sketch paper. What a bonus to get two crafts in one! Now I have lovely blossoms on paper for paper crafting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47475\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding7-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding7-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding7-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding7.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lastly to set the design, I ironed my piece with a warm iron, but with a paper towel over it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47476\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding8-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding8-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding8-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding8.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t worry too much about all of this, the hammered images don\u2019t have to be perfect by any means. Mine aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding9.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47477\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding9-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding9-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding9-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding9.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I paired my botanical impressions with some lavender linen and sewed up a <a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/product\/OLV-OS045HS.html\">Hide-and-Seek Dress<\/a>. The floral images are showcased nicely on the front yoke.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a good resource, I suggest this book: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/The-Art-Craft-Pounding-Flowers\/dp\/1579548652\" target=\"_blank\">The Art and Craft of Pounding Flowers<\/a> by Laura Martin. It\u2019s a treasure trove of information on the art of hammering flowers. You\u2019ll learn what plants work best, what fabrics work best, and much more. For example, plants with darker pigments usually yield better impressions. For my second flower pounding project you\u2019ll notice that the yellow flower petals that I pounded into the upper left-hand corner barely appear.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding10.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47478\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding10-580x388.jpg\" alt=\"Flower pounding technique\" width=\"580\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding10-580x388.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding10-275x184.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpounding10.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So there you have it. Maybe this might inspire you to try flower pounding and design and create your own floral print fabric to make wearable art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Try the simple technique of flower pounding and create your own floral print fabric to make wearable art. Here it was placed on the yoke of the Oliver + S Hide-and-Seek Dress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7455,"featured_media":47468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[66,150,140],"class_list":["post-47453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-customized","tag-hide-and-seek","tag-tutorial"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/flowerpoundingTITLE.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-cln","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54498,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2016\/04\/ten-spring-sewing-tutorials.html","url_meta":{"origin":47453,"position":0},"title":"ten spring sewing tutorials","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"April 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Bring on spring! Here are ten fresh sewing projects using Oliver + S patterns for a beautiful spring.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/springtutorialsTITLE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56207,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2016\/06\/ten-yoke-tutorials.html","url_meta":{"origin":47453,"position":1},"title":"ten yoke tutorials","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"June 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are ten techniques or ideas for the yoke of the Oliver + S Hide-and-Seek Dress + Tunic or the Liesl + Co. Cinema Dress patterns.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/yoketutsTITLE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50006,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2015\/10\/origami-roses.html","url_meta":{"origin":47453,"position":2},"title":"origami roses","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"October 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Add some folded fabric roses to your next sewing project. They look lovely on Krista's Oliver + S Roller Skate Dress!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;tutorials&quot;","block_context":{"text":"tutorials","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/tutorials"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/origamirosesTITLE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1893,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2010\/11\/principles-of-fabric-selection-circa-1928.html","url_meta":{"origin":47453,"position":3},"title":"principles of fabric selection, circa 1928","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"November 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"From a 1928 Singer sewing guide published in Great Britain. DO NOT OVERTRIM The keynote of children's dress should be simplicity, and as a guide for trimming a girl's frock, if the bodice is embroidered or trimmed with lace, let the skirt be plain, beyond perhaps a few tucks above\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56000,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2016\/06\/sew-tell-meagans-marbled-yoke-hide-and-seek-tunic.html","url_meta":{"origin":47453,"position":4},"title":"sew + tell: meagan\u2019s marbled yoke hide-and-seek tunic","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"June 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For this addition of Sew + Tell we have Meagan sharing and talking about the Oliver + S Hide-and-Seek Tunic that she made. She used a marbling fabric technique for the yoke.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tunic2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52366,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2015\/12\/the-modern-natural-dyer-book-and-kit-giveaway.html","url_meta":{"origin":47453,"position":5},"title":"the modern natural dyer book and kit giveaway","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"December 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Enter our giveaway to win a copy of \"The Modern Natural Dyer\" by Kristine Vejar and a natural dye project kit.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/dyerTITLE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47453"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47493,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47453\/revisions\/47493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}