• Nifty & Thrifty

Nifty & Thrifty

Dried flowers can be a thrifty craft item if you think ahead this summer. Simply gather flowers from your garden (or your neighbors' with their approval) and dry them for later use. It's best to select blooms that aren't fully mature, or they may lose their petals while drying. Microwave flower drying works well for most flowers. It preserves the color and structure of the flowers better than air drying and is much faster.

To dry dimensional flowers in a microwave you'll need a microwave-safe container to hold your flowers. Put an inch or two of silica gel (available at most large craft stores) in the bottom of the container to help the flowers maintain their shape. Place your flowers in the gel with the blossom opening upward and gently pour additional gel over the flower to make sure all petals remain in position while drying. The silica gel can be used repeatedly.

The drying time will vary from flower to flower, so test one flower and then repeat with the rest of that type of flower. Begin by microwaving for 2 minutes and add 1-minute intervals until the flower is dry (check between each interval). Start at your second-highest power setting and adjust as needed.

Let your dried flowers sit for a day before removing from the container. You may want to spray them with a clear acrylic fixative to help preserve them.

Pressing flowers in the microwave is similar to the above technique except you use a press instead of silica gel. Start with a 60-second interval and experiment on what intervals work best for your flowers. Use your second-highest power setting and adjust as needed. The press should be opened at each interval to allow steam to escape and flowers to cool; then repeat with additional microwave intervals until dry. To save time, you might want to work with two presses at a time and alternate their microwave and cooling times.

See the Product Finds section of this newsletter for a press to buy. To make your own simple press, layer a piece of corrugated cardboard, and then paper towels for padding and a coffee filter. Place your flowers on top of the coffee filter and top with another filter, paper towels and another piece of cardboard. Use rubber bands to hold everything together tightly. You'll need to replace the coffee filters and paper towels occasionally.