Embroidery Hoop Sun Catcher

by Red Leaf Style

Do you have a few embroidery hoops on hand? Then, you can easily make this sun catcher to hang in a window to catch the light.
Made from just an embroidery hoop, wax paper and pressed flowers, it’s a no-skills required project.
This project is simple, sweet and inexpensive. It’s the perfect way to save farmer’s market flowers or summer blooms from your garden to enjoy all year. And at the end, you’ll have something pretty to hang in your window to catch the light.

embroidery hoop sun catcher, crafts, repurposing upcycling

The first step is to press flowers to go in the middle of your sun catcher.

This part of the project is a little more time-intensive, but only because you have to wait a couple of weeks for your blooms to dry. It’s really hard not to peek, I know, but if you don’t give your flowers ample time to dry out they’ll turn brown and wilt. Pressing them dries them out so they last…pretty much forever.

Drying flowers is easy, especially using this pressing method. Simply take a variety of flowers and their leaves and lay them flat between the pages of a few books. You’ll need to line the pages of the book with tissue paper before pressing your blooms to prevent the flowers from sticking. (I found this out the hard way.)

You won’t be able to fit as many flowers in a book as you think. It gets thick fast. So, it’s completely fine to use multiple books. Once you’ve finished placing your flowers in your books, slide the books back on the shelf, so they’re squeezed between other books. You’ll need the pressure in order to flatten your flowers. After about two weeks, they’ll be dried out and ready to go.

It’s really fun to open the books at the end of the two weeks and find your perfectly preserved flowers. It makes all of the waiting worth it. I promise!

The next step is to assemble your sun catcher.

First, disassemble your embroidery hoop. Then, tear off a piece of wax paper that’s slightly larger than your embroidery hoop. Place the flexible portion of the embroidery hoop (the one with the screw) on top of the sheet of wax paper.

Now, for the fun part. Arrange your blooms on top of the wax paper and in the middle of your hoop in a pretty pattern. At this point, I found that it’s a good idea to add a few very small dollops of glue to the wax paper to secure the flowers.

The final step is to put it all together.

Once you have your flowers arranged how you like, tear off another sheet of wax paper and place it on top of your hoop. Then, take the other portion of your embroidery hoop (the one without the screw) and press it down snug in the middle of the other part of the hoop, just like you would with fabric.

Secure the hoop by turning the screw until it’s tight. Then, trim off the excess wax paper, and you’re done!

Hang your sun catcher in a window that gets a lot of light. You'll love the way the wax paper softly diffuses the light, creating a pretty glow.

I'm so happy with how my sun catcher turned out. What do you think?

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 5 questions

Dianequi55i on Dec 08, 2018

why don't you use silk flowers so you don't have to wait for them to to dry, it would be instant, I use silk flowers in globe hangers outside. They are still out- side in Dec.

3
Dawn on Apr 27, 2019

What type of glue would be best to hold the flowers on the paper? Also can the same thing be done with plastic wrap? The catcher would have a clear background then?

0
Rhapsodyblue on Dec 23, 2019

I remeber doing this but using an iron to seal the wax paper? Would this be a correct memory? For some reason, I thought that sealed the wax paper?

4

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Wynasha on Aug 18, 2020

I may try this method. I love suncatchers and there is an abundance of flowers outside right now. I do remember seeing a 'Hometalk' method of drying flowers in the microwave which would save time. :)
https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/walls/how-to-dry-flowers-fast-and-easy-41427440?email=&cancel= Thank you for a great idea !!

How to Dry Flowers Fast and Easy

3 Reply
Doreen Kennedy on Mar 08, 2021

i love this sun catcher idea. I think it would be great to use a large frame so I can hang it in my window. Also you can make a simple flower press using an old hard cover book. Just drill holes straight thru I all 4 corners, insert long screws with wing nuts, and remove spline. This way you get a nice even press.

3 Reply