This post is about a craft session on Wednesday, April 5th at 9:30am-1pm (although the day can be stretched if you want to stay longer) at the home of this activity’s leader, Pam N, to learn how to make Pysanky Eggs. You know, they’re the ones with the intricate designs on them which have a jubilant folkloric feel and remind us all of the beauty of hand crafts. Anyone crafty? Come make a beginner pysanky egg. Bring $10. with you and lunch if you want to stay. For more information, Pam’s address, and the ability to communicate with the group, go to the #PYSANKY channel on MWC-SLACK. Group size will be limited to 8.
You can’t think about Pysanky without thinking about Ukraine – and know that few of these beautiful, traditional, seasonal treasures will be made in the country this year. But we can make them for fun, for solidarity and for the sheer love of craft. It’s important to remember that this is a BEGINNER lesson, because those beautiful specimens we see pictured here are the result of many years of developed technique. But no matter – Pysanky eggs can be intricate or simple – and at the very least learning the technique will make you appreciate how exceptional they are.
Pysanky is a traditional craft in Ukraine and Poland. The method is similar to batik where patterns are drawn on the egg with wax, which then protects the covered areas from the dye that is applied. By repeating this process with different colors of dye, a multi-colored pattern is built up.
Wear old clothes because the dye is permanent. Pam will have all the supplies on hand.