Flowers and a Hammer

Some things just go together―like peanut butter and jelly, pen and paper, cup and saucer, brick and mortar, or flowers and hammer.  OK that last one, “flowers and hammer”, is an unlikely pairing.  It’s certainly not one you’re going to see on a greeting card!
Yet, flowers and hammers are the basis of a fun, natural dyeing project I’d like to share with you.
Hammering flowers, aka flower pounding, plant bashing, or tataki-zome, involves using the force of a hammer to transfer the natural dyes from flowers and foliage to fabric or paper.  It’s a great way to extend the beauty of Mother Nature’s ephemeral blooms.

A little research reveals natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool and linen, work best.  For this first project, I decided to keep it simple with a few yards of 100% cotton fabric in white.  I overcast the raw edges to prevent fraying, then washed and dried the fabric to remove any manufactured finishes.
Next came the question of colorfastness and how to prevent the hammered images from fading.  Most online experts warn that the finished work will not be washable and will likely fade if exposed to light for any length of time.  They advise you to pre-treat your fabric, called mordanting, for longevity and depth of color.
This is something to consider when deciding how to use the finished fabric.  Items which require frequent washing, such as napkins or placemats, might not be the best choice as they would fade quickly.  I’m planning to use my finished fabric (shown below) as furoshiki, traditional Japanese wrapping cloths, for sustainable gift wrapping.
Alternatively, some folks simply let the hammered images fade and reapply them when needed.  I’ve seen artists using this approach with skirts and other items of clothing.  It’s an intriguing approach which essentially turns the piece into an ever-changing work of art.

Mordant Fabric
The experts at Botanical Colors offer a wealth of information on mordanting.  Here’s what their website has to say on the subject: “Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. A mordant is a mineral salt that fixes with the fiber allowing natural dyes to bond to it. For us it is the most important step to improve light and washfastness. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo … this is not an optional step. However, there are many different mordants you can use. Deciding which mordant to use comes down to the types of fibers you want to dye and how much time or energy you wish to spend.”
A careful review of their website helped me decide which mordant option would work best for my project.  Admittedly, I was heavily influenced by which supplies were readily available online.  I chose the “Tannin and Aluminum Sulfate” option, which was noted as “Most lightfast mordant for cellulose fibers” (such as cotton linen, hemp and bamboo).  The mordanting supplies shown below were purchased from Amazon and included 1) Oak Gall Powder from NatureGrail 2) Alum (Potassium Aluminum Sulfate) from Jacquard Products and 3) Soda Ash Dye Fixer from Jacquard Products.
TIP: “You may use Aluminum sulfate or Aluminum potassium sulfate. Both are commonly referred to as alum.”

Always up for a good crafting project, my sister Marian immediately agreed to work on this project together.  So, I packed my supplies for my recent visit and Marian’s kitchen became command central for the great flower hammering experiment!  Special thanks to Marian for always being up for my crazy crafting ideas!
We started by mordanting the fabric after carefully consulting the instructions on the Botanical Colors website.  One advantage of the method we chose is that, with the exception of dissolving the powders in very hot water, this procedure can be done at room temperature.  So, thankfully, there was no need to maneuver big pots of simmering hot water during the July heat wave.
We located Marian’s biggest buckets and determined that about ⅓ of the fabric could fit into a bucket with ample room to easily move it around in the liquid.  So, we divided the fabric into three batches.  Each batch would need to be soaked in two separate baths―first in a tannin bath with the gall powder and second in an alum bath with the alum and soda ash.
TIP: Mordant baths are mixed based on weight so start by weighing your fabric accurately.

We carefully weighed the ingredients for each bath.  Here we’re measuring the soda ash dye fixer for the alum bath.

Shown below are the two baths in action.  The brownish solution on the left is the tannin bath.  It did give the fabric a slight creamy color.

Each soak required at least an hour so this process took the better part of a day.  Here’s the first section of cotton fabric hanging on the line to dry.

TIP: Consult the Botanical Colors website (see More Info section below) for specific instructions on how to mordant your fabric.
Set Up Work Area
Flower hammering doesn’t require any specialty equipment or working environment.  But it is helpful to gather together a few common items and set them up effectively.  You’ll want to work on a smooth, wooden cutting board placed on a solid surface such as a countertop or built-in work table.  Insert a few layers of fabric, such as tea towels or sheeting, under the cutting board to help reduce the noise.  Be warned hammering flowers is noisy!
TIP: Put padding under your cutting board to help deaden/absorb the noise.
TIP: Ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones aren’t a bad idea.
As shown below, you’ll make a sandwich on your cutting board with your flower/leaf in the center.  We tried a few different combinations and settled on this one: first we placed a layer of paper towel on the cutting board, then smoothed our fabric to be dyed over the paper towel, next arranged the flower/leaf on the fabric, and finally topped it all off with a piece of scrap fabric.  We hammered on top of the scrap fabric.  The paper towel and scrap fabric absorb the excess moisture from the natural materials.

The other, rather obvious, consideration is your hammer.  We tried a few different types of hammers, including a plastic mallet, two different finishing hammers and a sledge hammer.  Some experts vary their hammer based on the “toughness” of the natural materials they are hammering.  They might, for instance, recommend a rubber mallet for delicate blooms.
We found the most important considerations are that the hammer has a smooth face and you feel comfortable striking it over and over again.  Marian preferred a heavy weight finish hammer.  I really liked the 10-lb sledge hammer shown below because its large face and solid impact meant less strikes.

Gather Natural Materials
Next, you’ll want to gather flowers and leaves to use for your hammered designs.  If you’re lucky, you’ll have your sister’s extensive gardens at your disposal and be able to choose from a variety of blooming flowers and lush green foliage.  There were bright gold false sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides) …

… rows and rows of lavender …

… and even a few weeds and wildflowers such as the musk mallow (Malva moschata) pictured below.  We took small cuttings from the plants and floated them in bowls of water.

Our objective was to gather a random sampling of natural materials so we could see which ones would work best.  Without intending to do so, we started arranging our cuttings into pleasing color palettes such as this pink and green selection …

… and this orange and green palette.

We continued to add leaves and flowers…

…until our selection of samples became a work of art in themselves.

Experiment, Design and Make
With our fabric prepped, our working area set up and our natural materials gathered, we were ready to begin the actual hammering.  True to form, I took a structured approach to testing each element and noting the results while Marian dove right in and created her first masterpiece.
We learned a great deal from these early efforts.  For instance, wild shrub roses create some of the most vibrant color transfers but the blooms have to be disassembled and hammered one petal at a time.
TIP: Reconstruct blooms with multiple petals by separating the petals and hammering each one individually.

We discovered the thickness and moisture content of the flowers and foliage was key.  Some elements, such as pea and melon leaves, were too thick and juicy resulting in ugly, green blotches.  Other elements, such as mature fern fronds, were too dry and didn’t transfer any dye.
We found some elements, such as the common weed tufted vetch (Vicia cracca), had just the right amount of moisture.  We chose the vetch because of its symmetrical leaf pattern and pretty curvy tendrils and were pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out.

Another favorite was the false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) with its vibrant orange petals.  We discovered the petals could be reassembled into a flower face or used as individual design elements.  The petals are very thin so they can be difficult to remove after they’ve been hammered.
TIP: Tweezers are helpful for removing hammered petals and leaves.

An element that produced equally pleasing, but less flamboyant, results was borage (Borago officinalis).  Borage flowers are a delicate purple/blue color and a distinctive star shape.  They do, however, have a high moisture content so it’s necessary to remove the flower’s stamen and stem before hammering.
TIP: Use small, sharp scissors to trim off flower stamen and greenery.

Sometimes a design calls for simple motifs such as colorful dots or straight lines.  We learned fine, straight, green lines can be made with pine needles and deep blue spots can be created with lavender buds.  We found it was best to separate the lavender buds from the stems and remove any spent blooms before hammering the deep blue buds.

Few of the natural elements we tried, transferred as accurately as Japanese maple leaves.  It’s possible to make near-perfect impressions if you carefully hold the leaves in place while hammering.

Our Results
Now, for the big reveals!  Marian hammered wild shrub roses, borage and tufted vetch onto a lace-trimmed, vintage cloth to create this pretty piece.  The combination of softly-aged cloth and vibrant natural dyes is perfect!

For my first piece, I envisioned colorful shapes raining down into a chaotic puddle―like confetti floating down into a pile.  I did not envision how long it would take to hammer every one of those little elements including wild shrub roses, false sunflowers, borage, tufted vetch, lavender and pine needles into position on the fabric.  Regardless, I’m pleased with the results.

My second piece was completely different.  I started by dividing my fabric into equal stripes.  Then I hammered different-sized Japanese maple leaves into alternating bands.  The green, bronze and burgundy colors are a pretty, but subtle, blend of natural hues.  I love how this piece turned out!
Ironically, the scrap fabric I used to cover the maple leaves while hammering this piece turned out to be equally pretty!

More Info

I’m always on the lookout for ways to prolong the life of flowers.  Other methods I’ve tried and shared on FanningSparks’ blog include:
Pressing flowers:
. Fern & Flower Press – DIY Tutorial
. Pressed Flower Girls Wall Art which features a collage made with pressed flowers.
. Thrifted Frame to Small Tray which features a small tray embellished with a pressed flower.
Drying flowers:
. Weaving Lavender which features woven lavender wands.
. Stop and Smell the Lavender which features a dried lavender wooden display block.
Photographing flowers―there are too many examples to list but a couple of my favorites are:
. Painting with Wildflowers which features vignettes composed of flowers
. Reflecting on the Simple Bubble which features captures like this one of bubbles among the flowers in my garden.

The following books and online resources were consulted in the writing of this blog post:
. Botanical Colors website and specifically their section on How to Mordant
. Michelle Moore Designs website and Instagram page
. Samorn Sanixay Instagram page
. Flower Pounding book by Linda Rudkin which is available here on Internet Archives.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Hammering flowers, aka flower pounding, plant bashing, or tataki-zome, involves using the force of a hammer to transfer the natural dyes from flowers and foliage to fabric or paper.
2. Hammering flowers is one option for extending the beauty of Mother Nature’s ephemeral blooms.
3. Mordanted fabric embellished with hammered natural elements can be used in a variety of ways.