Botanical Printing On Silk – September 9, 2023

Learn how to capture some of nature’s beauty by printing leaves and flowers on silk. 

Botanical printing, sometimes called eco printing, is a direct-contact printing technique. Natural dyes and tannins in leaves and other plant materials are transferred to paper or cloth with prolonged high heat to create prints. No paints, inks, or external dyes are needed to create these beautiful monoprints.

One of the rewarding aspects of botanical printing is experimenting with local leaves, since not all leaves print. In this introductory class, we will first create silk samplers to test local leaves. Some reliable printing leaves will be provided, but you can try some from your garden. You’ll learn how to prepare pre-mordanted silk and how to bundle it tightly with leaves for the steamer to get good, clear prints. As our samplers heat, we’ll discuss procedures in more depth. After lunch we’ll open our samplers, review results, and then use your favorite leaves to bundle up a silk scarf. As they steam, we’ll look at some examples and take time for Q&A, before the always exciting “reveal”!

Students are asked to bring:

• 100% cotton piece at least 9” x 58” (old sheet or new/washed cotton)
• scissors
• bag lunch, as the class will run over the lunch hour
• Optional: garden shears, fresh leaves and flowers from home to test, camera. Instructor will send out a list with some recommended leaves ahead of time.

Skill Level
No experience required. 

Age Requirement
Students ages 18 and older are welcome to attend this class.

Location Details
Marine Mills Folk School
550 Pine St., Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047

Cost Details
Tuition: $75
Materials Fee: $25
Total Cost: $100

NOTE:  Be aware we may cancel class if a minimum number of registrations is not reached. We work to balance teachers’ need to plan for a class with students’ busy schedules — not an easy task. Please register as early as possible!

If interested, you can find our cancellation policy here.