HELP! I need to do a project with 50 leaves that is due in two days but the leaves all got warped and dried.?

Question

How do I flatten them out without ruining them.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I put them in a book but they didn't dry right so putting them in a book is out of the question. They are dry. I just got to straigten them out w/o losing them

Answer 1

If you have time to get new leaves... I would say that is your best answer....

If you can't replace the leaves, try MISTING them with a spray bottle - getting them damp and then using WAX PAPER and ironing the leaves inbetween the wax paper...

This should straighten the leaves out and show all of the veins and striations on the leaves.

The drawback is that you can't touch or feel the leaves, if that was part of the assignment!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Four different methods that you can try.....


+Take your leaf and place it between two pieces of wax paper. Cover with an old towel, cloth or piece of paper and use an iron, set to warm, to seal the two pieces of wax paper together. Avoid scorching the leaf by keeping the iron moving at all times. Allow it to cool at first and then trim around your leaf. Be sure to leave a narrow margin around the leaf so the paper stays sealed.

+Make a solution of glycerin and water. Use twice as much water as you do glycerin. Pour into a flat pan and completely cover your leaves with the water and glycerin solution. If your leaves float, you will have to weight them down. Let them set for up to six days. The leaves slowly absorb the solution, which makes them soft and flexible for many years.

+Dry leaves in the microwave by laying them between two paper towels. If it is possible, you'll want to set your microwave's power setting to medium or low. Now run the microwave for between 30 and 100 seconds, depending on the dryness of the leaves. You'll want to keep a close eye on them to prevent over heating. Note: this is one method I haven't tried, be warned.

+The most common way is first to find a big book. Doing this may ruin the pages, so you'll want to use an old book that is of little value to you. If your leaves are wet to the touch, place them in a sunny window until they are dry. Putting wet leaves increases the odds of just getting green fuzzy leaves. Place the dry leaves in the book with a paper towel or blotting paper in contact with the front and back or the leaf. You can place many leaves in a book, so long as there is about 15 to 20 pages in between each set of leaves. If you put more than one leaf to a page, take care not to overlap them. Keep the leaves in the book for about 7 days, longer for larger or moister leaves. You may want to replace the paper towels on the second or third day.

Answer 3

No. What you need to do is get new leaves and melt some wax in a pan and dip the leaves in the wax. The thin layer of wax will keep the leaves from drying out and curling up. This is a fast and easy process. It only takes as long as it does to gently melt some wax in a pan and dip the leaves so they are completely covered, then pull them out and lay them on a paper towel to cool. You can have a new set of leaves in minutes. When I was a kid in Vermont we used to collect brightly colored autumn leaves and wax them. They would stay nice for weeks.

Waxing Leaves
~ For Older Children ~
~What you will need ~
Aprox. 10 fall leaves (maple or other big leaves)
Aprox. 1 lb of paraffin wax
One skillet
Wax paper
First you need to put the block of wax into a large skillet and let it melt over a low to medium heat**
Then lay your wax paper out on your counter
for the leaves to dry on.
Once your wax is melted, dip the leave quickly into the wax, turning them over once or twice to get a good coat on them.
Lay them onto the wax paper and let them dry about 1 hour.
Ta Da!
You have waxed leaves!
These are great to make crafts out of like wreaths or any other decoration you can think of AND the leaves last a really long time so you can have the beauty of fall in your house all year long!


*Please make sure that the wax is not to hot, it can pop out and burn your child.
If you are patient and let it melt at a lower temp, you'll have a better time since you won't have to try to get it to stop smoking and burning:)

Answer 4

If they are not crumbled put them on top of a dish towel on the ironing board, then carefully place a sheet of waxed paper on top of the leaf and then another dish towel and put the iron (set to medium...no steam, setting) and hold on for a few seconds at a time. You could put them between two sheets of waxed paper and do the same thing however they will be sealed in the waxed paper..this would make them difficult to attach to anything. Using one sheet of waxed paper should allow you to carefully peal them off (probably using tweezers) and then try doing the other side of the leaf the same way.

Answer 5

Why do they need to be flattened out, wouldn't it be more creative if they were crumpled and dried? If not did you consider getting new leaves and painting over them with clear paint like mod-podge so they will keep their shape.

I work on art projects and such all the time, email me if you would like more ideas or help.

[e-mail]

Answer 6

put them in a book

Answer 7

put them in a book and gently close it.
but they wont last muchlonger.

Answer 8

put a towel over them and iron them?

Answer 9

find more leaves its fall there will be dozens.think a sponge can think.