>> Cathy Callahan is a crafter and window dresser who draws inspiration from vintage crafts. She blogs about 60s and 70s crafts at cathyofcalifornia.typepad.com.
Flowers and flower forms have been a big theme in crafts for decades. In the 1960s and 70s, flowers made with tissue paper, feathers, foil, macaroni, or paper cups were all the rage. I remember my mother making lupines by looping plastic six-pack holders around wire, then spray-painting them purple. They made a lovely centerpiece at the PTA luncheon.
But how about using the actual flowers? The art of drying and preserving flowers has been traced back to prehistoric times. It just might be the original craft.
We’ve all taken a special flower and pressed it between the pages of a book, like I did with my prom corsage. Had I known that there’s more to it, I wouldn’t have ended up with the moldy mess that I did. Since the beauty of fresh flowers only lasts a few days, you have to take steps to preserve them.
I really wanted to do it right this time, so I did a little research. It turns out that pressing takes about 2 weeks and drying can take up to 7 days. Who has time for that?
I almost gave up until I ran across an article entitled “Dry Flowers in Your Microwave in Minutes!” from Drying Flowers with Silica Gel (Hazel Pearson Handicrafts, 1975). Now there’s no stopping me.
7. Gently remove the flower using a skewer, and shake off the silica gel. 8. Remove any excess silica gel with a soft brush. 9. Display as you like. I decorated a frame with some vintage trim as a showcase for my flowers.
MATERIALS
Photograph by Cathy Callahan
QUICK-DRIED FLOWERS
1. Cut the stem to 1".
2. Pour 1½" of silica gel to cover the bottom of
the pan.
3. Place the flower face up and cover it completely
with silica gel.
4. Put the pan in the microwave along with a glass
of water (following all safety precautions for your
microwave).
5. Zap. I zapped my daisies for 2 minutes, at
1-minute increments on medium power.
6. Take the pan out and allow it to cool for
15– 20 minutes.
» MICROWAVE-SAFE PAN I USED AN OLD PLASTIC TAKEOUT CONTAINER.
» FLOWERS
» SILICA GEL FROM THE FLORAL SECTION AT THE CRAFT STORE. THE PACKAGE SHOULD HAVE DIRECTIONS AND DRYING TIMES FOR DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF FLOWERS.
» WOODEN SKEWER
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