E is for … Egg Embroidery

On an embroidery blog, it seems reasonable that my alphabetic recap series entry for the letter “E” could simply have been “Embroidery” – but that’s a pretty hefty umbrella!

Instead, I decided to highlight Egg Embroidery: that is, embroidery on an egg shell.

This is probably not a technique that will appeal to everyone. It eschews the traditional fabric foundations of embroidery and opts instead for the delicate foundation of an egg shell – be it chicken, duck, goose, emu, or ostrich egg (or any bird egg that will work, that you can get your hands on, and that you’re keen enough to try).

My favored egg for this endeavor is the goose egg. Somewhere between duck egg and the extraordinarily sized emu and ostrich eggs lies the egg of the goose.

It is a large egg, the goose egg. But it is not an immense egg.

Befitting its larger size, it has a tougher, more porcelain-like shell.

I like working on goose eggs because they aren’t as fragile as chicken eggs, they’re larger than duck eggs, and the shells, though not nearly as pretty as duck egg shells, have a nice feel to them.

I’ve only written about embroidery on eggs during one era of Needle ‘n Thread, some twelve years ago. You can find all my articles about embroidery on eggs in this index. The articles include tutorials and tips, for those who want to try embroidering eggs.

Ever since dabbling with egg embroidery in 2013, I’ve intended to get back to the practice, to explore other ideas that I’ve had percolating in the brain since then. But I’ve not done it.

In my mind, I have 100 excuses, of course, but I think it all boils down to preference. I really prefer working on fabric!

Still, there’s something Extremely Satisfying about decking out an egg shell with real embroidery, and then putting it on display. It’s such a conversation starter!

With Christmas coming up, I thought this recap might be useful for those of you who wish to make something unique by hand for the holiday season, whether for decorating your own castle or for gift giving.

You see, eggs make beautiful Christmas ornaments for trees! And how many people do you know who have hand embroidered real eggs hanging from the branches of their seasonal sapling? Hm?

And they don’t have to be complicated, either! I found I preferred the simpler designs when played with embroidered eggs.

If the spirit moves you, then, go break out some seasonally colored threads and ribbons, forage up some goose eggs, warm up your Dremel drill, and in no time, you’ll be giving your friends, neighbors, and loved ones one of the rarest of embroidered Christmas ornaments: the embroidered egg!