{"title":"How to Make a Cyanotype Sun Print on Fabric","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-cyanotype-sun-print","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Justine Silva","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd6pJ8d7aAspct0WpNlmLQA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK6YUuwq95o"},"tldr":"How to make a cyanotype sun print: coat fabric in the dark, lay leaves under plexiglass, expose in sun for 15 minutes, then rinse to deep blue.","quickAnswer":"How to make a cyanotype sun print: coat fabric in the dark, lay leaves under plexiglass, expose in sun for 15 minutes, then rinse to deep blue. An easy project: about 1 hour, plus 4 hours to dry or set. Materials cost about $10 to $25. You need 11 things, including cyanotype kit, cotton or linen fabric and fresh leaves or flowers. The 9 steps start with hem the Cotton Fabric Panel for the Cyanotype Print.","totalDurationSeconds":397,"videoDurationSeconds":397,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":60,"waitMinutes":240,"totalMinutes":300,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":10,"max":25},"yield":"1 printed fabric panel"},"tools":["plexiglass or glass sheet","large tub or bucket","gloves","cardboard box","sewing machine (optional, for hemming)"],"materials":["cyanotype kit (part A and part B)","cotton or linen fabric","fresh leaves or flowers","clear packing tape","painter's tape","3% hydrogen peroxide (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Hem the Cotton Fabric Panel for the Cyanotype Print","text":"Start with a natural fabric. Cotton, linen and silk take the cyanotype solution evenly, while synthetics give patchy results. Justine uses a soft cotton gauze cut into panels about two by three feet. Wash it to remove any sizing. If the finished piece will hang or be used, hem the edges on a sewing machine now. Skip this if you are only experimenting."},{"number":2,"title":"Mix the Cyanotype Solution and Coat the Fabric in the Dark","text":"A cyanotype kit comes as two bottles, part A and part B. Follow the bottle directions to prepare them. When you are ready to print, go into a dark room and mix equal parts A and B in a bowl or bucket. Dip the fabric, wring it out well and hang it to dry in the dark. The mixed solution is sensitive to light, so work by dim warm light."},{"number":3,"title":"Arrange Leaves on Plexiglass for the Sun Print","text":"Collect leaves, fronds or flowers with interesting shapes. For a large panel, lay a sheet of plexiglass on a table and arrange the plants on it in the layout you want. Tape them down in a few spots with clear packing tape so they cannot shift. Clear tape lets the sun through and will not show in the print. For small pieces, a glass panel from an old frame works."},{"number":4,"title":"Keep the Treated Cyanotype Fabric Sealed From Light","text":"Once the coated fabric is dry, keep it out of the light until the moment you print. Justine sandwiches it inside a cardboard box and seals the seams with painter's tape so no light leaks in. Carry the box outside along with your prepared plate. Any light that reaches the fabric early will start the reaction and fog the print."},{"number":5,"title":"Lay the Plexiglass Plate Over the Cyanotype Fabric","text":"Pick a sunny spot and set the box on a flat surface. Open it, and right away lower the plexiglass plate over the treated fabric with the leaves facing down. Press it flat so the plants touch the fabric all over. Any gap between leaf and fabric lets light creep under and softens the edges of the print."},{"number":6,"title":"Expose the Cyanotype Sun Print for 15 to 20 Minutes","text":"Leave the print in direct sun for about 15 to 20 minutes. You will see the fabric change colour as it reacts, from yellow green to a greyish blue around the leaves. Cloudier days need longer. While it sits, set up a wash station: a tub or bucket of cold water with a splash of hydrogen peroxide."},{"number":7,"title":"Rinse the Cyanotype Fabric in Cold Water","text":"When the time is up, lift off the plexiglass and get the fabric into the water straight away. The rinse stops the reaction and washes out the unexposed solution. Swish and agitate the fabric well so every part gets rinsed. Keep going until the water runs clear and the white areas look bright."},{"number":8,"title":"Reveal the White Leaf Shapes on the Blue Cyanotype","text":"Lift the fabric out of the tub and open it up. The covered areas are now crisp white leaf shapes on deep blue. The hydrogen peroxide in the water brings the blue to full strength right away instead of over the next day. Gently squeeze out the extra water without wringing hard, which can crease the cloth."},{"number":9,"title":"Hang the Cyanotype Sun Print to Dry","text":"Hang the panel somewhere airy to dry. Once one print is done, the rest go quickly. Swap in a new plate of vines or flowers and repeat with the next panel. Justine hung the finished set from a dowel as a wall piece, but the same method works for tea towels, pillow covers, tote bags or paper cards."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-18T14:29:41.759Z","published":"2026-10-18T14:29:41.406Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}