Recently I learnt how to make pysanky eggs with my amazing pal ❤️ Its a batik or wax resist method of decorating eggs.

It’s a traditional Ukrainian craft that my friend learnt when she spent time there as a student studying.

According to the website pysanky.info …

Ukrainians have been decorating eggs, creating these miniature jewels, for countless generations. There is a ritualistic element involved, magical thinking, a calling out to the gods and goddesses for health, fertility, love, and wealth.  There is a yearning for eternity, for the sun and stars, for whatever gods that may be.  

If you’d like more info about pysanka I definitely recommend you look at Pysanky.info where there is so much info about the history and the craft today! It’s so interesting.

This is part of my first ever attempt at it! I really enjoyed it, it becomes meditative as you do it.

Using blown out eggs, the decoration process involves using the stylus tool, kistka, pictured in the foreground, scraping some beeswax into the top of the cone and gently heating it over the candle until the beeswax melts enough to produce an even thin stream of wax. Once you’ve completed part of your design you then dip the egg into dyes.

From what I understand, the dyes are vinegar based so partly etch into the egg, the wax resists the dye and once dried you repeat the process with different colours working from light to dark. Each layer will add to your design in various colours of dye!

Once you’ve completed your design, carefully hold the egg near the candle until the wax starts to melt (but being careful not to get the egg too hot and cause it to crack) and wipe off to remove the excess wax, what remains adds a sheen and protection to the egg.

My design is by no means a work of traditional pysanka, it’s me just having a go and spending time with my lovely friend having chats and basically giving each other therapy through crafts and chats!

100% recommend giving it a go, it’s an incredible craft and actual pysanka artists make incredible intricate designs ❤️ Definitely recommend having a look!

**”Pysanka” is the singular form; “pysanky” is plural – I’ve probably got it wrong throughout…