Make Botanical Shirts with Plant Pounding

Nature DIY Project for Kids: Botanical Shirts with Plant Pounding

Did you know that you can dye clothes with plants? Make botanical shirts with plant pounding for your art or home projects! We are having so much fun this week learning about plant pigments and the science behind this amazing, yet simple, project that allows kids to discover the wonderful colors, patterns, and designs in nature! This technique allows you to transfer dye from plants (flower and/or leaves) to a piece of fabric to make amazing designs.

Supplies needed from home

– Fresh leaves and flowers, hammer or kid’s mallet, wooden cutting board, plastic wrap, tape, white fabric (a cut-up sheet works well or use a white T-shirt to create botanical shirts!)

Instructions

Step 1: Pick leaves, grasses, or flowers to pound.
Step 2: Lay the fabric on a cutting board, flatten a flower or leaf on the fabric, and then lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the plant parts. Tape the sides of the plastic wrap to secure.
Step 3: Use the hammer to pound over the plant parts until an impression is left. After several strikes, peel back the leaf or petal to see if the part needs more pounding or not. What plants worked the best?
*Note: Clothing decorated with plant poundings should be hand-washed in cold water with a mild detergent.

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