Flower Pounding

Book:
Flower Pounding by Ann Frischkorn and Amy Sandrin

Time to reveal my next project... I choose the project, "Good Chi" on page 54.

I definitely enjoyed this book and am happy that I finally took time to check it out. Also, part of my goal is to actually use quilting books that are in my own library.

Book, Muslin

The instructions were very good and there are lots of photos of other great ideas for projects, in the book's gallery. I will definitely revisit this book, and will enjoy creating more interesting projects as new flowers present themselves to me. But, for now, here are my results....

The first step is to treat the fabric so the pigment from the plants you use will be successful in imprinting the fabric. They recommended a 100% cotton muslin for this project. I had several strips of muslin that after treating were about 4" wide. These were sewed together to make it the desired size for printing.

Then, the fun begins...

as you go on an adventure to pick the flowers, leaves, weeds, etc. for your project. This can be as close as your backyard, walk around the block, or local flower shop. What is great about this technique is that it can be done any time of year. If there are no suitable candidates in the outdoors, then your local florist can be a welcome spot. 

WARNING:

This technique can be addictive, very noisy... and your patience is required!!

I used different branches and flowers from a variety of trees in the yard. Not all of them are shown, but here are the two main ones. The day I took these pictures, it had been raining. It is good to test them on scraps to see what dye color they will produce. I found it very interesting that what I thought should have printed purple actually printed a pretty green. So, be prepared for surprises!!

  

 

Yellow Flowers

 These flower buds printed green

When placing the plant parts onto the fabric, they are taped down with masking tape, and then pounded so the dye can come through the fabric. This is done in stages, and depending on the complexity of the project selected, will take time to complete. You decide how much or how little imprinting will complete the project!!

My suggestion...
is that you have another project to work on while you wait for each stage. If you are not patient enough then you will smudge your fabric if removing the plant remnants before they are completely dry. I found that out!!

The printed fabric - once dried and cleaned up

The design outlined with a black fabric marker

I made a smaller vase as I didn't think I'd have tall flowers to add, so it does look different then the original design. I ended up choosing a plainer fabric for it, as my border is more decorative. It was a hard choice to make and in the end I decorated it will a flower (made with a stencil and the red flower buds) and gold fabric marker.

 

The vase to hold the flowers

After the top was done and the vase added, I still wanted to add some more design below the vase. And, this was a perfect spot for some butterflies. I added a total of 3 yellow butterfly buttons.

I added a mock binding in a dark green, and used a lighter green for the binding that matches the leaves on the border fabric.

The border and mock piping

Good Chi

Finished size: 15 1/2" x 23"

Next week only...

My next book choice and reveal will take a one week break... so that I can bring you a birthday surprise. Your comments next week, will result in a prize draw for my own eBook, "Quilter's Candy Delights" and a bonus, that I"ll tell you about next week.

My list of featured books is available on my website, check it for more details.

Happy stitching!!