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Souvenirs of Summer: Pressed Seaweed Prints

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Souvenirs of Summer: Pressed Seaweed Prints

August 30, 2024

We’ve long admired the pressed-seaweed art prints of Molesworth & Bird in Cornwall. Popularized in the 19th century, when the likes of Charles Darwin and John James Audubon inspired many budding naturalists, pressed seaweed still makes an evocative summer keepsake. Here’s how:

Photography by Justine Hand for Remodelista in Maine.

pressed seaweed prints: an evocative way to capture summer. 17
Above: Pressed seaweed prints: an evocative way to capture summer.

Materials

  • Seaweed
  • Bucket
  • Tub, tray, or baking dish
  • Watercolor or other thick paper
  • Cardboard
  • Weed barrier landscape fabric
  • Paint brush
  • Weights
  • Boards (optional)

How To

collect an array of seaweeds along the shore, then rinse specimens in tub  18
Above: Collect an array of seaweeds along the shore, then rinse specimens in tub filled with fresh water.
fill a separate tray with at least \1.5 inches of fresh water and submerge a th 19
Above: Fill a separate tray with at least 1.5 inches of fresh water and submerge a thick piece of paper. Place a seaweed specimen on top of the paper and arrange.
tilting the paper so the water runs off, gentle ease out of the water and rest  20
Above: Tilting the paper so the water runs off, gentle ease out of the water and rest on two pieces of cardboard. (To help protect your working surface, we recommend placing a board both beneath your first seaweed pressing.) Use a paint brush to remove any debris.
place a piece of landscape fabric over your work and add two more pieces of car 21
Above: Place a piece of landscape fabric over your work and add two more pieces of cardboard. Repeat, layering other specimens on top of one another. Finally add a board and a lot of weight—stones, bricks, and books work well—and leave in well-ventilated, dry spot. Check your pressings after two days and change the cardboard if it is too wet. Check again in a couple days, and change cardboard again if necessary, until specimens are dry.
finally, you may wish to label your pressed seaweed. hang and enjoy. 22
Above: Finally, you may wish to label your pressed seaweed. Hang and enjoy.

For more, see our book: Remodelista in Maine: A Design Lover’s Guide to Inspired, Down-to-Earth Living.

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