I don't think you could press them very flat...certainly not as one-dimensional as most flowers and foliage are generally pressed. Most folks I think just remove them from water after forcing and they retain their form and color very well for using in dried arrangements. Sorry I can't be more helpful...josh

Thanks Josh,
I've been sacrificing them to try and figure out a way. Here is the best I have come up with so far...using a sharp knife I cut away a bit of the middle core, then using the flat blade of the knife press it firmly over the pussy willow. It seemed to flatten it out a bit, althought it took away a little of sheen of the fur and left some dotty looking background, but it is still recognizable as a pussy willow. I am going to try and press them between heavy books and weights and see what they look like when dry.

That's the fun part...just experimenting. Let us know how they turn out. josh

Have you considered putting the catkin between two sheets of brown paper and ironing it? You would at least have the catkin intact.

Ray