Life,  Projects

An Easy Way to Create Pressed Ferns

Do you have plants growing in your garden or landscape that you’d love to capture and extend that beauty? Stop time and just hold it closely? That’s what inspired the project that I’m sharing today. A pressed fern project for you to enjoy or to gift.

I was watching a video from a gardener I follow. I was awestruck as he took ferns from his garden and talked about drying those ferns, pressing and mounting them.

There before my eyes were prints that extended the beauty from that garden onto canvases.

That idea of extending garden beauty became a plan.

I have the most beautiful ferns that were gifted to me by a friend from her farm. Sensitive Ferns she called them. My husband diligently brought them home and planted them in the perfect spot along the borders of the woods surrounding our property.

They come up year after year. A little fuller and thicker and are stunning.

Away from the harm of the lawn mower or weed eater or pruning shears–they stay unscathed.

Perfectly shaded and with enough drainage that they stay happy.

Can I tell you that this idea was a near the end of the season project? and those ferns were just not at their best. But to gather the best ones I could was how I began.

A trip to Office Depot for a large pad of newsprint paper to press them into was the next step in the process. Then weights of books were placed on top and tucked under a bed in a guest room out of view for the duration of the “pressing process” to take place.

The first round of instructions said a minimum of six months…

Well…it had been longer than that, so, now was a perfect time to remove them from their drying and try my hand at the next step to mount these.

Can I tell you when I pulled those pressed ferns out for mounting that they were so dry and brittle that I was back to the drawing board?

My second attempt at a new method to press ferns didn’t fare any better.

Mod Podge has a spray that was recommended to spray on leaves to seal them.

Yeah, well…guess what it did to those dried ferns?

I’m sure you guessed it…

It rehydrated them. All of the moisture from the spray put them back to where they were before they dried. I was back to square one. No longer did they lay flat for mounting. They were full and back to their original glory.

Added that to my DO NOT DO AGAIN list.

I realized that my experience in pressing leaves like I did for those school projects from elementary through high school would serve me well again.

I love that you can snip fresh ferns- these are called “sensitive ferns”- and make pressed ferns for mounting without drying! Yes, please!

Here’s the EASY method that I created and WORKED for pressing ferns to mount:

  • Snip fresh ferns the size you want, making sure that the leaves look intact.
  • Place brown paper over your ironing board to prevent wax from coating the cover.
  • Lay your ferns carefully between two pieces wax paper.
  • Carefully place the wax paper on top of the brown paper on the ironing board.
  • Add another piece of brown paper over the wax paper to prevent wax coating on the iron.
  • Heat the iron–no steam–and carefully iron the fern between the brown paper and wax paper, coating the fern with wax and sealing. TIP: I carefully lifted the brown paper and flattened each stem before ironing to ensure that it was not twisting as I ironed.
  • Flip over and make sure that you iron the back side.
Place Fern fron between two pieces of wax paper and then between two pieces of craft paper and iron on both sides.

Now that the pressed ferns were flat and sealed with wax, I could begin the next step.

Carefully remove the back side of the wax paper from the fern after ironing on both sides.
  • Carefully remove the waxed paper from the back side of the fern.
  • In a well ventilated area (outdoors), spray the back side of the fern while it is still attached to the waxed paper on the front side.
  • Flip over and position on whatever you are mounting it to. I chose burlap canvases.
  • Press down and rub a nylon scraper or credit card over the fern through the waxed paper. You will notice it lifting from the fern.
  • Be careful to remove the waxed paper gently–ensuring that the fern stays on the mounted surface. I loved the burlap because the fern looked embedded into the fabric.
  • A layer of mod podge over the surface will seal it and keep it protected.
Print
5 from 5 votes

Pressed Ferns

The EASIEST way to take fresh ferns and press and mount them for works of art in your home.
Prep Time10 minutes
Active Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes

Equipment

  • Iron and ironing board
  • garden shears

Materials

  • Waxed paper
  • Craft paper
  • Nylon Scraper
  • Spray Adhesive
  • Stretched canvases
  • Mod Podge
  • Foam brush to apply Mod Podge if not using spray form.

Instructions

  • Snip fresh ferns the size that fit the frame or stretched canvas that you want to add it to.
  • Place brown craft paper on your ironing board large enough to cover beneath and above the fern.
  • Position the fern between two sheets of wax paper to completely cover, making sure that the frons are separated and laying flat.
  • Put the waxed paper holding the ferns between the craft paper, making sure that the craft paper completely covers the wax paper to protect the iron and ironing board cover from the wax melting from the wax paper.
  • Heat the iron with a DRY setting. NO STEAM needs to be used when pressing the ferns!
  • Begin ironing the craft paper applying pressure and heat to all areas of the front. Then flip over and completely iron the back.
  • Remove the wax paper from the craft paper and peel away the BACK side of the wax paper.
  • Take the wax paper OUTSIDE and spray the back side of the fern with spray adhesive.
  • Flip the fern over to the right side and carefully line up where you'd like it on your canvas. CAREFUL! Once you lay it down, you are committed!
  • Leaving the wax paper on top, use a nylon scraper and begin scraping the fern through the wax paper. The wax paper will lift a bit, embedding the fern into the canvas and leaving the wax coating on the fern as you do this.
  • Gently remove the wax paper a little at a time after scraping the entire fern. If there are areas that want to come up, go back over them and apply more pressure so that they will adhere to the canvas.
  • Remove the wax paper completely making sure that all of the fern has adhered to the canvas.
  • Seal the fern with Mod Podge. Cover the canvas, as well, to cover the bits of adhesive that are stuck onto the canvas and could collect dust if not sealed.
  • Hang and enjoy! Or give as gifts! You choose!

Notes

This is a wonderfully easy and quick way to press and mount ferns for works of art in your home!
TIP: I have found this works better on stretched frames.
Perfect way to capture the beauty of the garden into decorating your home! 
Hope you’ll make a few for your home and perhaps for gifts. Enjoy!
 
Position the fern over the canvas…carefully! Once you lay it down, you are committed! Use a nylon scraper to embed the fern into the canvas through the wax paper. Gently lift and make sure that it is embedded before removing the paper.

That’s it!

Isn’t it lovely? I love how the fern looks embedded into the burlap canvas. Don’t forget to Mod Podge over the entire canvas to protect the fern and seal in the adhesive residue left on the canvas.

A year of wrestling in getting pressed ferns to give me the look I desired, COMPLETED!

I am so excited at how these pressed ferns look! How do you like them?

My problem now? I love these so much, I think I need more of them! I think I’ll press more of them next time…these are too good not to share as gifts.

Who knew adding beauty from the garden into my home would be so easy and rewarding?

I just solved your Christmas shopping. You’re welcome!

If you need more ideas for gifting from the garden, you can find them here and here.

3 M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive Spray

Burlap Canvases-12 x 12

Burlap Canvases- 16 x 20

Craft Paper

Wax Paper

Nylon Scraper

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