How To Press Flowers In A Book? Top Full Options [2022]

This helpful guide will show you how to press flowers in a book so that you can enjoy their beauty forever. By following these simple steps, you can create a beautiful and unique decoration for your home.

When most people think of pressing flowers, they think of the old-fashioned way of doing it with a book. This is a great way to press flowers, and there are many benefits to doing it this way.

Contents

1 Press Flowers with Beci
2 What To Do With Pressed Flowers
3 How To Press Flowers In A Book
4 FAQ
5 Conclusion

Press Flowers with Beci

I am an avid collector, and old books are my favorite. I don’t think I could leave an op shop without them. It doesn’t matter if you like the old-school printing or the quirky typesetting. I love second-hand books for the possibility of finding something unexpected within them.

There were many treasures hidden within those yellowing pages. I found a flattened Easter egg wrapper from the 1940s, a birthday card from an aunt to a niece, and, most importantly, several books that contained beautiful pressed flowers.

As a child, I loved to press flowers with my grandma. I don’t remember ever having the patience to wait weeks and weeks until the flowers were dried completely.

While researching this project, I found that there are many methods to press flowers. Some of these allow you to cheat, so you don’t have to wait forever before they are ready. This is great news because I still have the patience of a five-year-old.

You will need:

Flowers/foliage: Flat petals are the best. (See a list here. I love pansies, Geraniums, and Flowering Weeds – anything delicate and pretty.
Book/iron/microwave: Which method you use will determine what you do.
Paper or a card? Try blotting paper (coffee filter paper), printer paper, and several layers of tissue paper.

NOTES:

Fresh flowers are preferred to avoid browning.
Pick your flowers early in the morning to avoid dew. They may become moldy from the extra moisture they receive from the dew.
Flowers should be fresh from blooming or about to bloom. They will lose their petals if they become too old.
Before pressing, take out any flowers with obvious stamens.

Method 1: Pressing in a book

Place a piece of paper on one side of your book. To prevent liquid from flowers leaching into surrounding pages, use an old book or multiple sheets of paper. TIP: Avoid using a phonebook, as it is too fragile.

Place your flowers on the paper. Close the book by covering it with another piece of parchment or folding the first one in half.

You can weigh down the book by adding bricks or heavy books on top.

After one week, change the paper and let the flowers dry for a few more weeks. It would help if you resisted checking them unless you changed the paper. This can cause damage to the flowers.

Method 2: Ironing

Follow the steps below to flatten the flowers between two pieces of paper. Allow the flowers to dry for as long as you can. I recommend at least one day. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and drain any water from the iron.

You can remove the flowers from your book and place them between two sheets of paper. Then, press the iron on the flowers for about 10-15 seconds. The iron doesn’t have to be moved around; press the paper.

Method 3: Microwave

Following steps 1-2 (left), arrange the flowers in your book between two sheets of paper. Before placing your book in the microwave, make sure it has no metal on the spine. Place the book in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Let the book cool down by taking it out. Don’t open pages with flowers. TIP: Keep a few books at the ready so that you can heat one in the microwave and cool the other.

After the book has cooled, you can zap it again in the microwave. Continue this process until the flowers are dry. Smaller flowers may require more frequent drying times.

What To Do With Pressed Flowers

The best part about learning how to press flowers in the end! You can make many crafts with your flowers once you have pressed them.

A whimsical touch to handmade cards or invitations is adding pressed flowers. For garden-inspired wall decoration, you can place pressed flowers between two sheets of glass.

Jessica Pezalla from Bramble Workshop has created this stunning pressed flower tray. It is a delightful and unexpected way to preserve the colors of your garden.

Don’t forget to press flowers for next Easter! You can also use our tutorial to dry flowers for Easter eggs. There are endless possibilities.

This DIY flower-pounding technique on fabric is another floral project that I love. This creates beautiful designs, and the flowers can transfer their colors is wonderful.

How To Press Flowers In A Book

One of the most tried-and-truest methods is to press flowers into a book. I like this technique if you have the patience and time to wait. (If not, I have a solution below.

Supplies:

Sturdy book (e.g., phone book)
Paper that absorbs moisture (parchment, thin cardboard, newspaper, or coffee filters)
Heavyweight

Step 1: Prepare flowers

Separate any petals before you start. Next, arrange the flowers on a single sheet of parchment paper, leaving at least 3/4 inch between them. You can press flowers of the same thickness or variety together.

Step 2: Cover flowers and close the book

Place the second piece on top of the flowers. When pressing, flatten the flower faces in the desired shape. It is easiest to fold the parchment paper in half. This allows me to sandwich my flowers in a book rather than cut two sheets of paper.

Close the book, and then place a weight on top. You could also add more books or bricks, but it’s best to have enough weight to create pressure.

Step 3: Wait 2-4 weeks for flowers to dry

The thickness of the petals will determine the drying time. In the photo above, I waited 2.5 weeks for my flowers. They were paper thin and retained their colors well. You can wait up to four weeks for thicker flowers.

Some recommend that absorbent paper be replaced every three days. With parchment paper, however, this was not necessary for me.

After you are done, I recommend these nylon tweezers for handling dried flowers. You don’t want your beautiful book-pressed flowers to be damaged by their delicate structure.

Some relevant posts:

FAQ

What paper is best for pressing flowers?

Newspaper is the most affordable and easily accessible. Blotting paper, although more expensive, is more absorbent and can be used again. Expert flower pressers recommend using between 3 and 12 sheets of folded newspaper to absorb moisture.

Do pressed flowers last?

Pressed plants can live for hundreds of years if taken care of properly. The Museum holds volumes of herbarium sheets from the late 1600s and early 1800s.

How do you press flowers to preserve color?

Place the flowers on newspaper, plain white paper, tissue paper, or blotting paper (any paper that can absorb water) and then cover with another sheet. Place the flowers in a book, then close it. You might stack books on top of the book that has the flowers. This can take a few weeks.

Should you spray-dried flowers with hairspray?

Hairspray is a quick and effective way to preserve flowers. Tie fresh, blooming flowers to a hanger for drying. For 2-3 weeks, place them in a dark, well-ventilated area. After the flowers have dried completely, spray three even layers of aerosol hairspray on top of them.

Conclusion

When you press flowers in a book, you are preserving the natural beauty of the flowers in a way that will last for years. You can use any book you have on hand, but make sure it is one you don’t mind damaging. The flowers should be completely dry before you begin pressing them.