Printing from the Garden: Create Stunning One-of-a-Kind Prints with Flowers and Leaves

Kelly, a textile artist and founder of the Brooklyn-based design studio Flora Obscura, debuts with a dazzling guide to botanical contact printing, or using plants and flowers to print designs onto fabrics and paper. Describing the practice as a “delicate dance between chemistry, botany and art,” she encourages crafters to first experiment with fabric scraps or recycled paper before investing in nicer materials. She spotlights botanicals that can be used for printing, explaining that anemones impart strong prints, as do eucalyptus, hibiscus, and hollyhocks. The material on which the design will be printed, be it fabric or paper, must first be soaked in a solution of metallic salts, a process known as mordanting, so the fibers will accept the pigmentation. For printing on fabric, she outlines such techniques as bundle dying, which involves layering leaves and flowers onto fabric, rolling it around a dowel, and then steaming it. Turning to paper printing, Kelly demonstrates techniques like steaming vegetation onto paper with a damp cloth blanket. Highlighting a plethora of striking plants and a variety of printing methods, this is a comprehensive manual for creating visually stunning designs. It’s a valuable resource for anyone seeking a natural approach to art and fashion. (Mar.)