Hapa zome butterfly

Create a beautiful butterfly nature print.

Introduction

Use flowers and leaves to gently hammer natural colours into fabric, folding the design to reveal a symmetrical butterfly pattern.

A creative, hands-on way to explore nature, colour and pattern while developing fine motor skills and an appreciation for the outdoors.

Talk about the life cycle of a butterfly as you create your fabric version.

What you'll need

leaves
hammer
pen/pencil
cloth/paper
workbench/log

This activity has been provided by

Useful items from our shop

Item available from our shop

Environmental Considerations

Consider the environmental impact of preparing, carrying out & completing this activity. Could this impact be reduced? Specific considerations for this activity could include:

leave no trace
source of natural materials

Health & Safety Considerations

Follow your usual operating procedures and carry out appropriate risk benefit assessments.
Some considerations particular to this activity include:

using tools

Step #1 Prepare your fabric

Fold the piece of fabric in half - run a stone or your thumb across the fold so you can see a line (for symmetry).

Top tip

You can also use paper for this activity if you prefer.

Step #2 Draw butterfly and place leaves

Open your fabric out and draw on a butterfly body.

Place some leaves in position on one side to create butterfly wings - as pictured.

Top tip

Copper beech and dandelion leaves work well.

Step #3 Fold over and hammer

Make sure you have a solid, flat surface for working on, like a log or workbench.

Carefully fold over one side of the cloth to cover the side with the leaves and start hammering - be careful of your fingers! You will start to see the colour coming through the fabric.

Keep hammering until you can see both leaf shapes.

Step #4 Open up & peel off leaves

Unfold your fabric and check you are happy with the print.

If not, fold it again and hammer some more.

When you're satisfied peel off the bashed leaves to reveal the print underneath.

Step #5 finished

Now you have your butterfly you could cut it out and tie it to a stick and take it for an explore to see if you can find some nice flowers!

Disclaimer: Muddy Faces cannot take any responsibility for accidents or damage that occurs as a result of following this activity.You are responsible for making sure the activity is conducted safely.