| 1 |
Comfortable Chair
Lets face it, you are going to be sitting at this
position for hours
and hours, days, months, etc.
Most people use their kitchen table, but its important
to have a chair
with good back support. Adjustable height office
chairs can make the experience
more enjoyable. |
| 2 |
Workspace Tissue paper
Its very important to keep your egg clean, therefore
the area under
your egg must stay clean. I use several layers
of Scotts finest
toilet paper. It doesn't seem to have much lint as you
would experience
with paper towels. Don't be afraid to frequently
change it, if it gets
dirty. |
| 3 |
Table
We started out on the kitchen table, but eventually
moved to a 5 ft
x 2-1/2 ft folding table purchased from a local
office supply store
for about $40. Its sturdy and its nice to not
have to unpack and
pack up materials every time you want to work on it.
If you have the space,
I would reccomend a dedicated area for doing Pysanky. |
| 4 |
Workpad
Under the tissue paper , we placed an old terry cloth
hand towel. It
keeps your egg from rolling off the table and it
also protects your
egg if it happens to pop suddenly out of your
hand. |
| 5 |
Candle
We use a candle to heat our kistky. Yes, we know
there are electric
soldering irons converted to do the job of a kistka,
but its not the same.
For ages, the Ukrainian peoples have used
candles to heat their kistky.
With the flicker of the candle flame and the smell of
beeswax, I
think of it as a special way to make a connection to
your ancestors.
As always, be careful with an open flame, especially
around children. Never
leave a candle burning unattended or alone with
children. Its best to use
a good sturdy candle holder, one that accommodates
standard size tapers.
I buy all of my candles at dollar stores. |
| 6 |
Dyes
Information about the type of dyes used can be found
by CLICKING
HERE. Make sure you prepare your dyes the day
before. They need time
to cool. Make sure to label the jars and the lids. I
cover the labels with
wide transparent tape to keep them readable if they
get splashed with dye.
Also include a single jar of pure white vinegar, used
to clean the egg
before the first dye. |
| 7 |
Wax and Wax Bowl
Find a small bowl to keep your wax
in. Look around in your kitchen, most people never use
these bowls for
much of anything. If you can't find one, use your
kistka ashtray.
Break your wax into little pellets. This makes it
easier to load the kistka
and prevents drips on the side. |
| 8 |
Kistky
These are tools used to apply the wax on the egg.
Information about
the tools can be found by CLICKING
HERE. An ashtray makes a great
kistky holder and you can
keep track of your cleaning
wire inside. |
| 9 |
Mechanical Pencil
For more information CLICK
HERE. Most any mechanical pencil
works well, although size 0.7 mm seems to work the
best.
|
| 10 |
Lighting
If you don't have a good overhead light, I would
recommend a desk or
draftsman lamp. |
| 11 |
Tool Box
Someplace to keep all your tools, wax ,
accessories organized
and mobile. You never know if need to take your
tools to a Pysanky
party. |
| 12,13 |
Spoon Wash
Preventing cross contamination is the best way to keep
your dyes strong.
We keep 2 plastic tubs of water near the dyes.
As you take your spoon
out of the dye, shake as much dye back into the jar.
Then swish the spoon
in the first wash. This will remove most of the dye.
Then set the spoon
in the 2nd , more cleaner tub of water. This
method prevents having
a spoon for every jar or using up miles of
paper towels or
tissue. As the first tub becomes dirty, dump it
out and switch the
second tub to the first, then fill up the 2nd tub with
clean water. |
| 14 |
Slotted Spoons
Stainless steel slotted vegetable serving spoons. 1 or
2 is all you
need. |
| 15 |
Design Book
Keep your design book, photos or sketches on your left
if you are right
handed, reverse for lefties. It also prevents dripping
any wax on your
designs. ATU has a large offering of design
books. |
| 16 |
Fire Starter
CLICK HERE
for more information. |
| 17 |
Egg Holders
Most of the time, you are working on more than one egg
at a time. You
can be drawing on one egg while there may be
one in the dyes
or another drying. We like to use the circular
egg stands. They are better than
using the egg carton because
it allows the egg to dry underneath and less contact
is made with the egg. |
| 18 |
Template Set
CLICK HERE
for more information. |
| 19 |
DRIP CATCHER
Put your dyes inside something that will catch any
spills or splashes.
A small box is good or an old cake pan or plastic tub
works well for the
job. |
| 20 |
Clean Eggs
Click
Here
to learn about selecting and preparing your eggs. If
you are using full
eggs, make sure to take them out of the fridge the
night before to
allow them to come room temperature. |
| 21 |
Toilet Paper
Keep a roll handy to line your workspace, dab your
eggs dry and handle
your egg. Who knows, you might need to blow your nose
too. |
| 22 |
Paper Towels
Keep it away from your egg, but good to have around
for general wiping
up of spills, drying your hands and spoons. |
| 23 |
Newspaper
Line your table under the dyes and spoon wash.
Protects the table and
will absorb spills. |
| 24 |
Trash can
Keep a trash can close., you will need it to toss
tissue and paper
towels. It keeps your table clear to work
efficiently. |
| 25 |
Comfy Sweater
Keeps you warm on those late nights finishing up the
final touches
on your Pysanky. |
