An Introduction to Flower Pounding

Flower pounding, or Hapa Zome, is a tradition that comes to us by way of Japan. It involves hammering flowers into fabric, which transfers the impression of the flower itself, color and shape alike. The same technique can also be applied to leaves of most kinds, except those that are waxy in texture. It’s simple to experiment with this technique—the supplies are easy to procure and are things you probably already have lying around. In addition, most people know how to hammer and own one in their basic at-home tool kit.

Supplies needed include a piece of fabric (I recommend natural fibers, such as linen or cotton), a hammer, and some plants! Plants of any kind will do, whether they’re from your backyard or a bouquet you’ve bought at the grocery store. Take a look at my foraging post to get some tips on how to find plants in your area. The best thing about flower pounding is you can use weeds or leaves of plants that grow in most neighborhoods.

If you’d like long-lasting color on your fabric, you can mordant with either aluminum acetate or soy milk.

Otherwise, you can start pounding right away!

Here is a short video on the method I use and some tips on how to get the best results. Note: I made this video during the lockdown of 2020, so it includes some language related to that. The advice to wash your hands always applies though!

It’s especially interesting to experiment and apply this technique to all different kinds of plants!

Here are some weeds that I’ve found around my neighborhood and pounded into fabric.

It’s fun seeing the different shapes and patterns that different leaves can create!

You can also use this technique with flowers. I’ve found that many flower petals work well and I especially love working with pansies. Below: a mix of pansies and microgreens.

This shows the versatility of the flower pounding technique and the variety of leaves and flowers you can use. Here is a picture of tansy flowers that I especially love.

Last but not least, I will show you the final step in the flower pounding process, which I outlined in my video above, but didn’t have the chance to show on camera.

This is the last step: peeling the original plant off of your fabric to reveal the print! In my opinion, this is the best part. You don’t have to wait for the piece to dry before you do this. Sometimes, though, it is easier to wait for the piece to dry and scrape the plant material off of your fabric with a credit card or other flat but durable object, as outlined in the longer instructional video at the top.

The fabric at the bottom of the picture above shows the original leaf, and the fabric below that is the print that’s left. You can either use two separate pieces of fabric when you’re pounding—the original fabric you want the print to lay on, and your piece of scrap fabric—or use one piece of fabric and fold it over itself each time you hammer a new plant onto it.

Happy flower pounding!!