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Closeup of a clover on a white cloth that has been covered with prints made by hammering clovers onto the cloth.

Hammered Shamrock Prints and Clover Hearts

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Last Modified: March 10, 2020 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // March 10, 2020 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

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A fun St. Patrick's Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects. #thethingswellmake #miy #stpatricksday #shamrocks #stpatricksdaydecor #stpattysdayideas #stpatricksdaycrafts #artsandcrafts #craftsforkids #clothprojects #naturalcrafts #diynatural #naturecrafts
A fun St. Patrick's Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects. #thethingswellmake #miy #stpatricksday #shamrocks #stpatricksdaydecor #stpattysdayideas #stpatricksdaycrafts #artsandcrafts #craftsforkids #clothprojects #naturalcrafts #diynatural #naturecrafts
A fun St. Patrick's Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects. #thethingswellmake #miy #stpatricksday #shamrocks #stpatricksdaydecor #stpattysdayideas #stpatricksdaycrafts #artsandcrafts #craftsforkids #clothprojects #naturalcrafts #diynatural #naturecrafts

A fun St. Patrick’s Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects.

Overhead view of a hammer and clover leaves on a cloth with shamrock and clover heart prints on it.

Table of contents

  1. Including kids in the activity
    1. Materials
      1. Instructions
        1. Video
          1. Setting your prints to make them more permanent
            1. Tutorial

              When I made lavender sachets a while back, I naturally decorated them with hammered lavender flowers. At the time, I experimented with making hammered prints with different leaves and flowers. My favorite leaf prints were the hammered clovers.

              The heart-shaped leaves of the clovers are quite versatile. They make very cute shamrock prints that are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. By separating the leaves, though, you can also make some beautiful natural hearts. That would also make this a super-cute natural project for Valentine’s day!

              Including kids in the activity

              This activity can be done with kids, but, because we are using a hammer, it will need adult supervision.

              That said, even the youngest of kids can get involved and help you make these prints. Young children can go shamrock hunting for you and they can help you place the plants wherever you want to mark the cloth. Older kids can do the hammering themselves (with supervision, of course). Kids of all ages are amazed by the outcome.

              A young boy holding a bunch of clovers in his hand, ready to use them for a fun St. Patrick's Day project.

              I’ve done this project with my son several times over the years. When he was very little, he had fun picking clovers for me. He got bored before it was his turn to bang on the clovers, though. I wasn’t too upset about it because I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how I was going to get him to hammer the cloth without hurting himself and/or me!

              This year, now that he’s older, he was very excited to bang on the cloth for me. He quite enjoyed himself and loved seeing the outcome. It also ended up being a great excuse for getting outside just as the weather is starting to warm up. (Hopefully, you have nice weather now too!)

              Materials

              • Clovers
              • White cotton cloth or absorbent paper (Watercolor paper works well.)
              • Hammer (A metal hammer works much better than a rubber mallet.)
              • Wooden board or another work surface (Note: it may get stained or dented.)

              Instructions

              • Begin by looking for pretty clovers that you want to use for your hammered shamrock prints. Kids usually love this part of the activity and happily bring you lots of clovers.
              • Decide where you want to make your print. You can print on cloth, paper, or other materials. Everything from cards and stationery to t-shirts and kitchen towels can be easily decorated. It’s fun to experiment to see which materials make better prints.
              • Look for a solid, smooth surface over which you can place your fabric or paper. Use something that you don’t mind staining or denting! I used a pine board once but found that the veining of the wood showed up. This time I used a smoother, wooden cutting board and it worked much better.
              • Cover your work surface with the cloth or paper that you want to decorate.
              • Place your leaves or flowers into position on the board, and cover them with another layer of cloth or some paper towels. Covering them helps hold them in place and also absorbs some of the released dyes so that they don’t bleed all over the place. While the paper towel worked OK, I think the cloth made a better backing and also has the advantage of letting me stamp two cloth pieces at once. 😉
              • Lightly tap over the entire surface of the clover or leaves you are using. This helps hold the materials in place. At first, we tried to use a rubber mallet, but it didn’t make the most vibrant and clear prints. We later found a normal hammer to work best!
              • Once you’ve gone over everything lightly, start hammering all over the entire surface of your leaves with a bit more force. If you are using a cloth backing, you should start to see the dye from the plants starting to seep through.
              • When the dye seeps through pretty evenly, you have probably done a good job of hammering and should be ready to open it up and admire your work. The plant material may stick to the fabric. You can either carefully peel it off right away, or let it dry a little and then peel it off.
              • That’s all there is to it! Admire your work!
              • 4 clover leaves together on absorbent paper, forming a 4 leaf clover pattern.
                Trying to make a 4 leaf clover
              • Resulting print made from hammering 4 clover leaves onto absorbent paper (like watercolor paper)
                Using a hammer on watercolor paper leaves a clear print.

              Video

              Setting your prints to make them more permanent

              I’ve washed a few of the hammered cloth prints, and they’ve held up pretty well to regular washing. (You know how hard it is to get grass stains out, right? This is the same concept!)

              To ensure that the prints don’t wash away, it’s probably a good idea to run a hot iron over the prints before washing your fabric. The heat will help set the “stain” and make it more permanent.

              A white cloth with shamrock prints and clover heart prints.

              Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!

              Tutorial

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              Closeup of a clover on a white cloth that has been covered with prints made by hammering clovers onto the cloth.

              Shamrock Prints and Clover Hearts

              A fun St. Patrick’s Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects.
              5 from 1 vote
              Print Pin Rate
              Prep time: 10 minutes
              Active time: 15 minutes
              Total time: 25 minutes
              Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

              Materials

              • clover leaves
              • cotton cloth
              • hammer (A metal hammer works better than a rubber mallet.)

              Instructions

              • Go on a nature hike and look for pretty clovers that you want to use for your hammered shamrock prints.
                A young boy in a patch of clovers looking for clovers for a St. Patrick's Day activity.
              • Decide where you want to make your print. The great thing about hammered leaf printing is that you can use it to decorate a variety of paper and cloth projects. Everything from cards and stationery to t-shirts and cotton cloths can be easily decorated.
                A young boy ready to hammer some clovers onto cloth to make shamrock prints.
              • Look for a solid, smooth surface over which you can place your fabric or paper. Use something that you don't mind staining or denting! I used a weathered pine board once, but found that the veining of the wood showed up. Using a smooth wooden cutting board worked much better.
                A cloth with shamrock prints and clover hearts on a wooden cutting board.
              • Cover your work surface with the cloth or paper onto which you want to hammer your flower or leaves. With the clover leaves, a thin cotton fabric worked best for me. It absorbed the dye well and evenly, making the prettiest prints.
              • Place the clover leaves into position on the board and cover them with another layer of cloth or some paper towels. Covering them helps hold them in place and also absorbs some of the released pigment so that it doesn't bleed all over the place. While you can use a paper towel, using another layer of cloth has the advantage of stamping two cloth pieces at once. 😉
                Covering the clover with paper toweling before hammering them.
              • Lightly tap over the entire surface of the leaves. This helps hold them in place.
              • Once you've lightly hammered over the entire leaf, start hitting over the entire surface with a bit more force. If you are using a cloth backing, you should start to see the pigment from the leaves starting to seep through.
                Tapping over the cloth covered clover with a hammer. You can see the dye seeping through.
              • When you can see the full shape of the leaf through the cloth, you have probably done a good job of fully transering the pigment to the cloth. Open it up and admire your work! If the plant material has stuck to the fabric, you can either carefully peel it off right away or let it dry a little and then peel it off.
                After lifting off the top fabric, some of the clover is sticking to the cloth. You can see the vivid print made by the leaves on the fabric.
              • That’s all there is to it! Admire your work!

              Notes

              It takes a bit of experimentation to find out what types of paper or cloth are going to work best with different types of leaves or flowers, and I’ve found that when working with fabric, natural fibers like cotton tend to absorb and hold the dye from the plants better.
              Watercolor paper and other thick, recycled papers also make nice prints. 
              Use full clovers to make shamrock prints. The individual leaves make pretty hearts.
              You can set the prints so they last longer by ironing over them with a hot iron. 
              Tried making this? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!

              Looking for more St. Patrick’s day fun? Why not make a Shamrock Shake? (Or a super healthy candida diet-safe shamrock shake!)

              If you’re feeling more like rainbows, try my eat the rainbow spring rolls!

              Category: Arts & Crafts, St. Patrick's Day

              About Tracy Ariza, DDS

              Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We'll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

              Previous Post: « top view of candida diet safe shamrock shake The Candida Diet Safe Shamrock Shake (Paleo, Vegan)
              Next Post: Naturally Colored Shamrock Shake (Real food) homemade shamrock shake next to a bunch of clovers. The shake is topped with whipped cream and a clover leaf and served with a stainless steel straw. »

              Reader Interactions

              Comments

              1. Kati

                March 5, 2016 at 5:35 AM

                I love this idea! I know my kids would have a blast making fun prints out of clovers. Pinned~

                Reply
                • Tracy Ariza

                  March 11, 2016 at 9:16 PM

                  Hi Kati,
                  Thanks so much. I really appreciate it!
                  I hope you have lots of fun and have a happy St. Patty’s day! 🙂

                  Reply

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              Jump to Tutorial Jump to Video Print Tutorial Tracy Ariza, DDS
              A fun St. Patrick's Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects. #thethingswellmake #miy #stpatricksday #shamrocks #stpatricksdaydecor #stpattysdayideas #stpatricksdaycrafts #artsandcrafts #craftsforkids #clothprojects #naturalcrafts #diynatural #naturecrafts
              A fun St. Patrick's Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects. #thethingswellmake #miy #stpatricksday #shamrocks #stpatricksdaydecor #stpattysdayideas #stpatricksdaycrafts #artsandcrafts #craftsforkids #clothprojects #naturalcrafts #diynatural #naturecrafts
              A fun St. Patrick's Day activity for kids or adults, these hammered shamrock prints and clover hearts are a festive way to decorate cloth for all sorts of holiday projects. #thethingswellmake #miy #stpatricksday #shamrocks #stpatricksdaydecor #stpattysdayideas #stpatricksdaycrafts #artsandcrafts #craftsforkids #clothprojects #naturalcrafts #diynatural #naturecrafts
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