Thursday, March 19, 2009

Egg season

March is egg season in my workspace. Pysanky is one of my favorite craft, quiet time around a candle, the smell of hot bee's wax and vinegar, and holding an egg in my hand. Next week I am going to our school and teaching the kids how to do it, so I have to get ready.
Another method I had always wanted to try was the "drop and pull", where you have a little stove keeping a bowl of wax melted and you dip a pin, then drop the wax on the egg and pull lightly to make tear drops designs. I thought the younger kids would enjoy that, but I needed the stoves....


So I got to make them. 15 of them.....Hunted in the hardware department of the Co-op, and found copper caps just perfect for the bowls.

Some galvanized wire and the left overs from an old oak parquet floor, metal corners and screws...


And, voila, a little forest of stoves ready to go!!!
I tested them, they work great, small enough amount of wax to be safe, adjustable height on the bowl, a tea candle underneath to keep it at the right temperature, and the copper keeps it even.
As for the pysanky, this year's batch is my favorite.



Drop and pull in the forefront.



Here is my favorite design of the tryptilians series.



And the birds.



Outside the weather is mental again, a great day for egging, or maybe tatting...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great stove design....and love the drag and pull method...simple, and effective...my fav is the triptilian...the fish looking one in brown black and white...

Anonymous said...

Oh my! I think it is really hard to pick a favourite but I do l love the birds.

The little stoves are great, too.