Chamomile is one of those flowers that looks simple, but behaves differently once you start pressing it.
The petals are thin and delicate, while the center holds much more moisture. Because of this difference, chamomile often ends up with a shrunken or flattened center after drying — even when using a standard flower pressing setup.
This post documents a small adjustment I made during pressing, and how it helped the flowers stay more open and balanced.
Watch the full video：
The Standard Pressing Order doesn't work
Most pressed flower setups follow a similar structure:
Drying board → paper → flower → paper → sponge
This works well for many flat or evenly textured flowers.
However, with chamomile, I noticed that the center often dried unevenly, leading to visible shrinkage.
What Didn’t Work for Chamomile
Using the standard order, the flowers tended to dry too evenly on the surface while the center remained dense for longer.
Once fully dry, the center would contract and pull the petals inward.
Even with careful spacing and fresh flowers, the result often looked flatter than expected.
A Small Adjustment That Helped
For chamomile, I adjusted the structure slightly:
Drying board → paper → chamomile → sponge
By removing the top paper layer, the pressure became more flexible rather than evenly buffered.
This small change allowed the center to dry more naturally, reducing the tension between the center and the petals. The result wasn’t dramatic, but the difference was clearly visible when comparing batches.
Why This Adjustment Makes Sense
Chamomile has a thick, moisture-rich center and much thinner petals.
When pressure is too evenly distributed, the petals dry quickly while the center lags behind.
A softer pressure setup allows the structure to adapt during drying, instead of forcing everything flat at the same rate.
Some pressers use techniques like poking small holes in paper to relieve pressure at the center. This adjustment works on a similar principle — changing how pressure is distributed rather than increasing force.
A Note on Freshness
No method works well if the flower isn’t fresh.
Chamomile should be pressed when it is fully open and still firm.
If the flower has already absorbed too much water or started to decline, shrinkage can happen regardless of the pressing method.
Freshness matters more than technique.
Explore More
I’ve collected more pressed flower tutorials and process notes as part of this ongoing series.
If you’d like to explore the full collection, you can find more on my website
0 comments