The Art and Craft of Pounding Flowers: No Art, No Ink, Just a Hammer

Garden writer Laura C. Martin introduces The Art and Craft of Pounding Flowers, an activity using the pigments of plants for decoration. This craft is so easy one can ""simply pick a flower, place it on paper or fabric and hammer away,"" Martin explains. She easily guides the beginner through preparation, listing the tools needed in addition to the hammer, suggesting choices for plants darker pigments usually yield better impressions; paper and fabric with natural fibers absorb better; pretreating helps the color to take and last longer. More than 150 color photos and illus. (Sept.)