Spreads Ephemera-led
Seed Packet Ephemera Spread
Eight empty seed packets arranged by sowing month rather than by colour — the page becomes a planting calendar you can read at a glance without a single word of annotation.
8 layers 5 min
Sort by month, not by colour
Colour-sorted seed packets make a pretty rectangle that says nothing. Sorted by the sowing month printed on the back, the layout carries information: eight packets in a shallow arc from February at the left to October at the right, with the spring-sown group crowded and the autumn group sparse. The crowd is the data.
Opening a packet flat without tearing the print
Cut along the top edge with scissors, then slide a bone folder inside and run it along the two side seams before separating them. Pulling a seam apart cold takes the printed surface with it about one time in three; creasing first drops that to roughly one in twelve. Keep the fold lines — a flattened packet with visible creases reads as a real object, while a perfectly flat one reads as a printout.
Two attachment points per packet
Attach each packet with two 6 mm squares of double-sided tape, placed at opposite corners rather than along a whole edge. A full-edge bond traps air and cockles the paper as the glue ages. Two opposite corners let the packet pivot microscopically with humidity instead of buckling, and they still hold a 12 g packet for years.
The arc, drawn in pencil then erased
Rule the arc in 2H pencil first, using a plate as a French curve. Place the packets along it, adjust, and only then stick. Erase the guide after the packets are down by holding the eraser flat and working around the packets rather than across them — dragging an eraser across a stuck-down packet edge lifts it.
Assembly order
- 1Cut each packet along the top edge and flatten the side seams with a bone folder.
- 2Read the sowing month off the back and lay the packets in month order.
- 3Rule a 2H pencil arc with a plate as a curve guide.
- 4Stick each packet down with two 6 mm squares of double-sided tape at opposite corners.
- 5Erase the arc, working around the packets rather than across them.
About 5 minutes of bench time, plus whatever the adhesive needs.
Supplies
- Empty seed packets, opened flat 8 pcs
- Kraft card base 250 gsm, A5 landscape
- Double-sided tape, 6 mm low-tack carrier
- Pencil, 2H for guide ticks only
- Soft eraser vinyl, clean
Sowing arc, February to October
| Position | Sowing month | Packet width | Gap to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb | 78 mm | 14 mm |
| 2-5 | Mar-Apr | 72-84 mm | 6 mm |
| 6-7 | Jun-Jul | 68 mm | 22 mm |
| 8 | Oct | 76 mm | — |
Where this goes wrong
Seed packets are printed with vegetable-based inks that stay slightly tacky for years. Stacking finished spreads in a humid room will transfer print onto the facing page. Interleave with glassine if the collection is going into storage above 60% relative humidity.
