eggs

Smooth and lustrous.
Mottled brown, teal and beige.
Fragile incubators of life.
Symbols of new growth; of love.
Busy, eager hands cajoled to gentleness.
Breath slowed, time stilled for a while.
Garden fossicking; leaf plucking.
Pungent brews of magenta and azure.
Such patience.
Careful threading and shiny pride filled eyes.
Adornment.

Steph x

We used a needle to gently pierce a hole in each end of our quail and chicken eggs, moving it around to widen the hole (the chicken eggs proved to be quite hardy so little chips around the hole were needed). A  skewer was inserted into the egg to "scramble" the contents making it easier to blow. After a few casualties we were mindful to grip the egg very gently trying hard not to squeeze as we blew. The shells were then washed under a running tap and any remaining water was blown out. Small leaves were gathered and adhered to the eggs with a little dab of water. A square of old stocking was carefully wrapped around and tied with string. Our dyes were made by boiling red cabbage and then beetroot until the water was heavily pigmented. A good splosh of vinegar was added to the beetroot and half of the cabbage water (it will change to a beautiful deep pink). Bicarb soda was added to the remaining cabbage brew and with the stir of a spoon it turned a gorgeous teal blue. The eggs were submerged in the dye in old jam jars and weighted down with a few rocks. We let them steep for most of the day. They were carefully removed and allowed to dry in the sink resting on a cake cooler. Embroidery thread was threaded from the bottom and up through the top. It was then passed back through the top and out the bottom where it was tied in a double knot. This formed a loop for hanging. We hung them on an old branch and then had a cup of tea while we admired them.

The twine nest was another little project we whiled away one sunny morning with. I'll share it with you soon.