What's a Pysanka?

Ukrainian egg decorating. We are not Ukrainian as such, however our ancestors lived in the Ukraine after they left Germany, or was it Russia? They never considered themselves Ukrainian I know that - have to check the details!

Here is how we made Pysanka at home, however, as mentioned a fabulous source is www.babasbeeswax.com

Blow eggs and wash, leave to dry and plug holes with a wee bit of beeswax (either use a tiny whole at each end and carefully blow the egg out - i find it hurts my jaw these days so i bought an egg pump from the fore mentioned web site).

Outline your egg with a pencil on the egg itself (or not).


Use your kistka (egg writing tool - a tool that is used to apply the beeswax, again check out the website mentioned or others) to draw traditional or other designs on the egg.


Submerse egg in dye no 1. Colours should be used in order yellow, green (with a Q-tip or toothpick) orange, red, purple, blue, black. You don't need to use all colours, just in that order the ones you do use. We only use 1 dark colour, purple, blue or black to simplify. Not sure why the green is applied differently rather than egg submersion but it is so :-)

After dyeing, dry egg with paper towel.


Decorate another layer with beeswax using your kistka. The wax locks in the last colour you dies wherever you apply it. This is a resist. The wax, resists the dye.

Continue until you have used all the colours you want - this can be 1 or several. Dry egg with paper towel after each colour.

Use the heat of a blow dryer and a paper towel to remove wax. Be careful not to burn yourself with hot wax!

Ta da! Your first Pysanka!

April Project no 2!