One of the great pleasures of autumn is kicking and shuffling one’s way through crisp piles of golden and russet hued leaves, even more so when they have been carefully tidied into a pile by a family member. But have you ever wondered you can preserve the colour of autumn leaves for crafts, just using store cupboard ingredients?
When left to their own devices, fallen leaves may turn that particular damp shade of brown reminiscent of 1980s school sandals, and therefore are not eminently desirable for art projects. However they can easily be preserved by soaking them in a solution of vegetable glycerine and water. Over a period of days the glycerin replaces the water content in the leaves, ensuring they retain their colour well into winter and beyond; they will also remain pliable, and are thus perfect for wreath, mobile and garland making. Glue on to jam jars for a quick candle holder for your Bonfire Night party, suspend from embroidery hoops as a seasonal mobile or use them as gift tags or place holders at a special lunch (they can be written on with paint pens or metallic markers).
When selecting your leaves, pick them fresh from the tree if you can, leaving on a length of stalk if possible (this not only helps to suck up the mixture but can be handy if you need to wire them on to your project). Red leaves may lose some of their colour when preserved and become a pretty shade of pink while green ones will become brown; I have found the most successful to be the leaves of the field maple. Growing wild in woods and hedgerows, it tends to blend into other greenery all summer long, but in autumn its rich shades of gold provide a welcome burst of colour. In folklore, a branch of field maple hung above your door is also supposed to stop bats entering your home.
Materials
Vegetable glycerin
Water
Selection of autumn leaves
Kitchen roll
- Select your leaves on a dry morning and brush off any little creatures.
- Place the leaves in a large bowl or dish, then have a root around in the cupboard and find a plate or similar that will fit inside and keep the leaves submerged in the glycerine and water solution.
- To create the preserving mixture, stir together 1 part glycerin to 2 parts water; you will need enough to cover the leaves comfortably once they are weighed down. Here I used 300ml of glycerin and 600ml of water, which gave me plenty to cover everything.
- Pour the liquid over the leaves, give everything a good poke and then place your weight on top.
- Soak the foliage for between 2 and 5 days, checking them every now and then; they should feel soft and pliable when ready.
- When you are happy with the colour and texture, remove them from the mix and dry carefully on a paper towel. The glycerine solution can be used again, even if it does look a little murky. (Although I have never had a problem, in very high humidity apparently the preserved leaves can weep glycerin a little, so avoid putting them on polished or wooden surfaces).
Taken from Sustainable Crafts, Gifts and Projects for All Seasons by Becci Coombes
Fancy decorating your home for a cosy autumn hygge feel? Pop over to our Folklore Edit to find lots of beautiful toadstools, garlands, candles and more!
Danish iron foraging/garden scissors
Keep a pair of these beautiful iron scissors in your foraging basket next time you go hunting the hedgerows! These lovely shears have a nostalgic feel, and mean you are less likely to damage plants when harvesting them.
Made in Denmark.
