Modern Embroidery

Since another World Embroidery Day is just around the corner, I updated this 2018 post and added more information about the embroidery artists and what they’ve been up to lately. Also, since it is World Embroidery Day, I listed what countries they are from and/or living in.
—S

In honor of the upcoming World Embroidery Day (July 30), here are 18 modern embroidery art pieces and patterns!

travel embroidery by Le Kadre — Via My Modern Met.

1. Travel memories.

Charles Henry and Elin Petronella ~~(a.k.a. “Le Kadre”)~~ embroider scenes from places they travel.

Artists: Charles Henry and Elin Petronella

Countries: France and Sweden

Currently…

Still together, but no longer going by Le Kadre, the artistic couple’s new website is simply charlesandelin.com.
They’ve also created the Charles and Elin Academy, where they offer online courses in modern hand embroidery.

Little leaf embroidery — By Brannon Addison via Brown Paper Bag.

2. Intricate blooms.

Brannon Addison of Happy Cactus Designs does spontaneous freehand embroidery of tiny flowers, leaves, and ferns. Doesn’t this piece just look so joyful?! (h/t Brown Paper Bag)

Artist: Brannon Addison

Country: USA

Currently…

Happy Cactus Designs is her line of framed, one-of-a-kind pieces that she has embroidered by hand.
High quality photos of some of her work become the front of cheerful, blank greeting cards.

3. Geometric heart.

Busy Being Jennifer explains how to sew your own “geo style” embroidery art, like the heart she made.

Artist: Jennifer Jayne

Country: Canada

Currently…

Jennifer continues to write about DIY and craft projects, food, health, and a variety of other topics.
She recently posted about what to see during a romantic weekend in Verona, Italy!

Solar system embroidery — By Alice Mitev.

4. Solar system on a string.

Alice of Cut and Rum created this fanciful piece that shows the planets on cat’s cradle strings. She teaches hand embroidery classes on Skillshare.

Artist: Alice Mitev

Countries: from Brazil, living in Germany

Currently… Her Instagram bio includes a link to get 2 free months of Skillshare Premium!

5. Artist trading cards.

iHanna made these sunny embroidered artist trading cards on fabric with painted backgrounds.

Artist: Hanna Andersson

Country: Sweden

Currently…

Hanna created her first short film! It’s called “Winter.”
Other media she has been exploring recently include watercolor, collage, and art journalling.
She continues to share her latest projects on her site, Studio iHanna.

Coffee photo with embroidery. Original listing was at https://www.etsy.com/listing/578242120/you-had-me-at-coffee-coffee-lover-latte — By Emily Lewin Bose.

6. Coffee

Emily Lewin, whose travel photography we featured in a previous post, uses embroidery to embellish her photos with subjects ranging from landscapes to latte art.

Artist: Emily Lewin Bose

Country: USA

Currently…

She got married! Search “Emily Bose” to find her on social media.
While she’s no longer selling on Etsy, you can find links to her book, past podcast episodes, and other projects at EmilyLewin.com.

fable applique - chicken — By MICAO via Brown Paper Bag.

7. Fabled.

Another find via Brown Paper Bag were these fanciful embroidered interpretations of Aesop’s Fables by Mika Hirasa (also known as MICAO).

Artist: Mika Hirasa / MICAO

Country: Japan

Currently…

You can see MICAO’s latest projects on Behance.
She has started writing and illustrating children’s books!
The first book she published, Boring Sunday, uses embroidery in an inventive way that is also key to the story.

8. Stitched paintings.

Marna Lunt used stitches like brushstrokes to create her detailed, one-of-a-kind works.

Artist: Marna Lunt

Country: U.K. (northeast England)

Currently…

Marna Lunt’s focus now is oil painting, often inspired by the North Yorkshire moors where she grew up.
She no longer does embroidery or makes textile art.

Embroidered map. Original image source: http://www.bryningart.co.uk/photo_14379993.html — By Mary Bryning.

9. Embroidered maps.

Mary Bryning makes embroidered maps of places, primarily near her home in northwestern England.

Artist: Mary Bryning

Country: U.K. (Wirral Peninsula)

Currently… She continues creating fiber art maps and nature-inspired pieces.

10. Pineapples.

These pineapples were stitched by Yumiko Higuchi, with help from her cat, Bona. To see more of Bona on Instagram, check out hashtag #樋口ボナ or #BonaHiguchi.

Artist: Yumiko Higuchi

Country: Japan (Tokyo)

Currently…

Yumiko Higuchi’s latest book is Embroidery in Everyday Life. (It’s in Japanese with an English translation is in progress.)
Several of her other books have been translated into English, as well as some into Korean, French, and German.

ASL I love you pattern — By Jess Coppom.

11. I love you.

Make + Do Crew offers this embroidery pattern of the ASL sign for “I love you” free to subscribers of their email list.

Artist: Jess Coppom

Country: USA (Colorado)

Currently…

The Make + Do Crew is made up of Jess Coppom, along with her mother and sisters.
Although this is an embroidery design, their focus is on creating crochet patterns that are easy to follow and make cozy items.

12. Donutotoros!

Phoenix artist IggyStarpup whipped up a dozen donut-shaped Totoros!

Artist: IggyStarpup / Courtney Doom

Country: USA (Arizona)

Currently…

Courtney Doom recently created a new Animal Crossing Collection.
She carries more of her embroidery art, stickers, and pins in her Etsy shop.

Stitched mountain postcard. Original listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/254842341/mountain-scene-postcard-embroidered — By Alicia Hubbell.

13. Mountain scene postcard.

GrannyAbell upcycles paper grocery bags into postcards with designs embroidered onto them. There’s white cardstock on the back, so your writing will show up clearly!

Artist: Alicia Hubbell (F.K.A. Granny Abell)

Country: USA (from Navajo Nation, living in Illinois)

Currently… Now Alicia Hubbell sells her embroidery, paper, and bead art as Loveabell Studio.

14. Fox.

Helen Richman of The Bluebird Embroidery Company creates original embroidery of lovely, realistic-looking forest animals.

Artist: Helen Richman

Country: U.K. (Somerset, England)

Currently…

In addition to her original embroidered artwork, she sells embroidery kits, greeting cards and prints of her original designs.
She also takes commissions for pet portraits and other subjects.

15. Winged heart.

Constanza created this puffy heart with couched embroidery, ribbon, fibers – and two days’ work.

Artist: Constanza Berger Silva

Countries: Chile / USA / England

Currently… Constanza Berger sells her art, as well as vintage and antique items in her Etsy shop, Peregrine Blue.

16. Swallow galaxy.

There’s a magical quality to this swallow with a tail of stars trailing behind it by Juno Embroidery.

Artist: juno (ユノ)

Country: Japan

Currently…

Earlier this summer, her embroidery art was on display at Hyakuchomori, a children’s book and toy store in Shizuoka, Japan.
She created the poster art for ArtMACHI creators’ conference for 2024, Year of the Dragon.

17. Tiny feather necklaces.

These cute little embroidery hoops by Jenny Vantland might get lost on your wall, but they’re a great size for necklaces!

Artist: Jenny Vantland

Country: USA (coastal Georgia)

Currently…

Jenny Vantland’s personal Instagram (where these necklaces were featured) is now private.
You can follow Goldie, her new brand of embroidered caps celebrating the Golden Isles of Georgia.
To purchase one, DM her via @goldie.merch on Instagram.
In person, you can find her merch at Viola’s Market on St. Simons Island or Makers in Brunswick, Georgia.

we're all human. Original source link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/622540221/were-all-human-pdf-embroidery-pattern-by — By Sarah K. Benning.

18. We’re all human.

Sarah K. Benning designed this pattern with a simple and powerful message. ~~It’s available for purchase, and~~ all proceeds go to RAICES Texas.

Artist: Sarah K. Benning

Country: USA (Maryland)

Currently…

…Donations

This pattern is not online anymore.
You can still donate directly to RAICES to support their work advocating for immigrants and refugees.

…Sarah K. Benning

Sarah K. Benning is taking a break from Etsy and no longer creates or sells DIY embroidery patterns.
You can find her stunning embroidery artwork on her site and at Apartment 528.
She’s the subject of an entire book! Embroidered Life: The Art of Sarah K. Benning by Sara Barnes.

…Sara Barnes

Besides authoring Embroidered Life, Sara Barnes writes about great illustration (which often includes embroidery) on her site, Brown Paper Bag.
Her site is where I learned about two of the artists I featured above, Brannon Addison (#2) and MICAO (#7). (So we’ve kind of come full circle!)

Updated July 2024.
Originally posted July 2018.

Etsy links shops have been converted to affiliate links. Etsy purchases you make after clicking them earns a small commission that helps this site without costing you anything extra!

February 7, 2024February 7, 2024

Color Story: Gems + Jewel Tones (part 2)

l had so much jewel-toned goodness to share with you in part 1 of this color story that it overflowed into this whole separate post!

So you can continue to revel in jewel-toned art, nature, artisan goods, destinations, and DIYs.

Also, I’ve put all the Etsy items from both posts into a Jewel Tones collection, so you can find them more easily. (I’m an Etsy affiliate, so you can click through one of the links on this page, buy something awesome, and you’ll be supporting the site at the same time!)

1. Amethyst-colored feathers cover the heads of male Costa’s hummingbirds, like this striking fella, who was perched in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s Hummingbird Aviary. / photo by @reenagiolaphoto (avid photographer of birds + her Australian shepherds) via Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

2. “Crystal Trees” oil painting by Erin Hanson. Its palette was inspired by lush springtime in the Texas hill country. / prints + textured replicas are available to ship worldwide

3. “The Sacred Garden Box” made by gem intarsia artist Nicolai Medvedev from opal, sugilite, lapis-lazuli, turquoise, and malachite. / H/T Western Spirit (“Scottsdale’s museum of the West”), which had an exhibition of his work in 2023. / Photo by Harold + Erica Van Pelt

4. A pack of 24 watercolor birthstone greeting cards (blank inside) by The Ritzy Rose.

5. Fabulous Cheesecake with Blueberry Glaze, a dessert re-discovered on a clipping from a 1975 issue of Southern Living magazine tucked into in a family recipe box. / via Food.com

6. Still life with plums, part of the Endless Summer series of 9 paintings by French illustrator Léa Maupetit. / Endless Summer has been exhibited in the artist’s home city of Paris at Klin d’oeil Boutique + Galerie and as far away as 1905 Re-creative Space in Shenyang, China!

7. LOVE bracelets, part of a project providing artisans worldwide with fair wages. / Pictured are Carolina, Claudia, and Wendy, three sisters from a village near Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, who earned enough money weaving these bracelets to build an extra floor onto their home! / via Love Is Project

8. “Enchanted” soy candle in a tin made by A Bearden Project. / sold via The Bee Hive, a boutique collective of independent makers in Atlanta

9. Phoenix Chile Pepper Festival attendees mingling as the sun goes down. / We went to the festival in 2016. Unfortunately, I don’t think they hold it anymore.

10. “Woodland romance” bouquet made from foliage with a mix of textures and tied with cascading ribbons. The flowers and other decor were inspired by the woodsy outdoor setting of a wedding reception. / flowers by Lace and Lilies + photo by Lori Kennedy Photography via The Perfect Palette

11. “We Are Star Stuff“ acrylic painting by Arizona artist Frank Gonzales, whose art is also featured on a large scale in the terrazzo floor of the 24th Street Sky Tram station at Phoenix Sky Harbor.

12. The Northern Lights in Norway! / The photo comes from one of the Sustainable Susie comic books, where the titular character shares responsible travel tips for seeing the aurora borealis and exploring fjords. The books were created by the nonprofit United States Tour Operators Association. / Photo credit: Hans Petter Sørensen + FarOutFocus/Visit Norway via AFAR Media

13. Teal and blue blown-glass terrarium for succulents, air plants, or fairy gardens. / by Garden Outside the Box / mostly blue version

14. Large malachite gemstone in the University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem + Mineral Museum, Tucson. / I took the photo when I visited the museum last fall. It’s one of Tucson’s top spots to see crystals, gems, and minerals all year round!

15. Rainbow Peacock Watercolor Print by Dean Crouser.

16. Guide for making beeswax food wraps, bee-less vegan food wraps, and snack bags, as reusable alternatives to single-use plastic wrap and baggies. / by Mountain Rose Herbs

17. Boozy Gem Jams by Moxie and Sassafras, a Tucson maker of small-batch macarons, alcohol-infused jams, and other treats with unexpected flavors.

18. Super colorful socks knit by the ever talented + creative Kelli Donley Williams!

19. At Sky Bar in Tucson, a video that looks like space plays on the big screen, while we wait for them to wheel out the telescope. They have nightly stargazing on the patio with volunteer astronomers to guide you and answer questions!

20. Fluorite and smoked quartz at the Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. It was found on Mount Blanc by crystal prospector Christophe Péray, who had lost his longtime collaborator Laurent Chatel on the same mountain range the year before. In his memory, Christophe named this specimen “Laurent.” / Photo by F. Farges via Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle

21. Dark Chocolate Detox Bites topped with dried fruit that looks just like the red fluorite in Laurent (from #20)! / The sweets are meant to be a healthier version of a traditional French Christmas candy, called mendiants (medallions). / by The View From Great Island

January 27, 2024January 27, 2024

Color Story: Gems + Jewel Tones (part 1)

Beyond just decoration, color is elemental.

Think of mineral pigments. The way a body of water takes on shades of what it carries – a cloudy blue glacial stream, a teal bay concealing a forest of kelp, a river that turns mud-brown with sediment. The hue of flames shifting from fuel and temperature changes. Or the impact of heat and chemical makeup on the color of lava, of aurora, of stars.

The rich, saturated colors of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, and other gemstones are actually from trace elements within them. It’s those so-called imperfections that create the gorgeous palette we call jewel tones.

With Tucson’s gem show season beginning today, it seemed like the perfect time to explore jewel-toned things to make, places to visit, handmade items to shop, and nature to marvel at.

In fact, I found so many gems to share with you that there will be a Part 2!

1. Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula, as seen through Webb Telescope filters. / public domain composite image via NASA and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) / in case you’re wondering: “How Are Webb’s Full-Color Images Made?” + “Where Colors in Telescope Images Come From”

2. Mineral from “one of the world’s finest collections of crystals” in the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon.

3. Interstellar Collection clay earrings handmade in Tucson by Little Rabbit Jewelry.

4. My photo of the fantastical Gila monster/Quetzalcoatl dragon mural that Jessica Gonzales created for Amazing Discoveries game store in Tucson.

5. Fluorite Obelisk made from natural crystal by Liz Creation Studio.

6. Monarch butterfly mosaic made on sustainable birchwood by Lantern Press Artwork.

7. Tossing Mardi Gras beads from a balcony in New Orleans. / via MardiGrasNewOrleans.com / History of throwing trinkets to Mardi Gras crowds.

8+9. Balsamic goat cheese pasta with roasted beets. / via Half-Baked Harvest

10. Looking up at the cut-gem shape of the ceiling of the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Virginia. / photo by Florence Womack

11. Fruit and Tonics: Recipe for giant, fruit-infused ice cubes that will give your drink more flavor as they melt instead of watering it down! / Add to gin and tonics, plain sparkling water, lemonade, or a pitcher of sangria. / via A Beautiful Mess

12. Sari Silk Cushion Cover made from vintage fabric in Jaipur, India by TheCraftmanship.

13. Free printable for making watercolor paper gems. / via We Are Scout

14. Prickly pear juice handcrafted by Desert Forager’s John Slattery. / At Tucson Meet Yourself, he was hustling to ring up beverage orders on one side of his booth while selling and signing his book, Southwest Foraging, on the other! / Return the jar your drink is served in for a discounted refill.

15. Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and Evolution by Hanan Karaman Munayyer, a beautiful book I borrowed recently.

16. Lanterns to celebrate Buddha’s birthday (Vesak Day) in Seoul, South Korea. / via Huffington Post

17. Hand-cut glass bottle wind chimes made by Bottles Uncorked. / You can order a set of all 10 colors or choose a single bottle.

18. BIRDLOVER Guatemalan Huipil Blouse, handwoven and embroidered by Doña Juana, a Mayan weaver in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. It was a 6-month long project! / via Mayan Artisans on Etsy

Photos link to their sources. This post contains Etsy affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on purchases – at no extra cost to you! Win-win!

March 23, 2023March 22, 2023

Color Story: Deep Teal

Updated March 2023.

Originally published January 2020.

While Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year is Classic Blue, I feel like I’ve already explored that in my 2018 Blues color story. Instead, what’s been on my mind – colorwise, at least – is teal.

It’s a tricky one to define exactly.

Teal resides at the divide between blue and green, undulating from one to the other, like waves over the border between sea and ocean. The side it falls on depends on who is seeing it and how.

You might find dark, dramatic shades of teal in a flowing river, in paint and pottery, in flora and fauna. Maybe it’s made its way into your home.

Teal can feel tranquil. Like a deep breath. Like that time after the holidays but before you’ve completely resumed your regular routine. Like the peace we need more of in 2020.

For now, maybe we can start by simply taking a moment to breathe deeply and take in some gorgeous teal tranquility.

1. A dramatic shade of natural stucco paint made with minerals sourced in Europe. / via Kromoxi (H/T A Girl Inspired)

2. Diving kingfisher near Kirkcudbright, Scotland. / One of over 720,000 photographs Alan McFadyen shot during his 6-year quest to perfectly capture the birds’ dive into the water. / via Daily Mail

3. Detail of VisionShift, Sonia King’s mosaic installation for the HALL Arts complex in Dallas.

4. Mudstone font sample. / I’m not sure whether this festival actually exists, but I kinda hope it does. / via You Work For Them

5. Tips for making a eucalyptus leaf bundle to hang in your shower. (Or purchase a ready-made one.) / Photo via Healthline

6. Prickly pear cactus earrings created by Australian artist Amelia Marks. / via e.g. etal

7. Tiled steps at The Dreamcatcher Guesthouse in Ocean Park, Puerto Rico. / via BLDG 25 + Dreamcatcher on Facebook

8. DIY tropical wreath with paper foliage by Lia Griffith.

9. Ceramicist Gwendolyn Yoppolo shows the lovely variation from different glazes and firing techniques.

10. Hand-printed vintage camper tea towel by Cara Hibbs. (Her Etsy shop, ohlittlerabbit, is taking a break. More fun, hand-screened tea towels here.)

11. Sea lions and pelicans enjoying a sunny day at Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California. / I took this photo when we were there in 2012. We stayed in a cute little vintage camper that looked a bit like the lower right one on the tea towel above.

12. Lacinato kale + recipe for kale and sausage skillet via The Rainforest Garden.

13. 1960s brushed metal pendant lamp by Doria Leuchten via VNTG.

14. “You Belong Among the Wildflowers” embroidered Tom Petty lyrics wall hanging by BreezebotPunch on Etsy. (Currently out of stock but you can get on the waitlist or request a custom order.)

15. Abstract sketchbook painting of the Smith River in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (Northern California) by Heather Day. / Her work is more about sensory experience than the literal represensation of a scene. She camped + painted in a spot overlooking this river in 2017. / via VSCO

16. The Vintage Turkish Over Dye Rug by Cadrys is one of the accessories “Interiors Addict” Jen Bishop selected to help your home feel cozy over the winter. (H/T The Home)

17. This adorable little square planter is handmade in Maine by Elizabeth Benotti.

Teal we meet again!

Photo sources: the Monterey and Venice photos are mine. Others are as cited.

This post contains Etsy affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on purchases – at no extra cost to you. So shop away!

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022

Pysanky: The Easter Eggs That Came Before Easter

Despite what you may have heard, Easter eggs were not invented in a New Jersey pharmacy.

In fact, thousands of years before there was Paas, there were pysanky – eggs decorated in the ancient Ukrainian tradition.

Pysanka- Ukrainian Easter eggs — By Colby Stopa via Flickr. CCL.

“Ukrainians have been decorating eggs, creating these miniature jewels, for countless generations. There is a ritualistic element involved, magical thinking, a calling out to the gods and goddesses for health, fertility, love, and wealth. There is a yearning for eternity, for the sun and stars, for whatever gods that may be.”
–Luba Petrusha of pysanky.info

For agrarian societies dependent on seasonal crops, the end of winter brings the beginning of the growing season and the food to survive. So the return of spring represents life in a very real way.

With this in mind, it makes sense that many cultures of the distant past worshiped the sun, including ancient Slavic peoples. To them, eggs were associated with springtime, the sun god, and the life-giving cycle of the seasons.

Kistka — A variety of styluses for creating pysanky, from traditional to modern. By Luba Petrusha. CCL.

Writing Pysanky

Pysanky are created using a wax resist process (similar to batik). Traditionally, you would have prepared dyes yourself, using natural materials like onion skins or red cabbage for color.

Then you would make the first part of your design on the egg’s shell by using a specialized stylus (a kistka) to apply melted beeswax, like putting a pen to paper. In fact, pysanka comes from the Ukrainian word for “write.”

Making a Ukrainian Easter egg. — Pysanka Brunch by Olga Strachna via Flickr (@olga_strachna). CCL.

After laying out the first part of your pattern in wax, you’d submerge the egg into your lightest shade of dye (let’s say yellow). While most of the egg then comes out yellow, your wax lines preserve the original color below (presumably, eggshell white).

Next, you’d put wax over the parts of your design that should remain yellow and sink the egg into the next darker shade of dye (maybe green).

You repeat the process of applying the wax and then submerging the egg in the next dye color, from lightest to darkest, for as many colors as you want in your design (or have dyes for).

Finally, you soften the wax and wipe it from the egg to reveal the full design.

Pysanka diagram — Diagram showing the step-by-step process of creating a single “pysanka”. Originally in V. Shukhevych’s 1902 “Hutsul’shchyna”, via UMA Cleveland.

Since it may be a bit hard to visualize, I highly recommend the 1975 short film Pysanka: The Ukrainian Easter Egg. You can see the process demonstrated from start to finish, while the narrator explains the traditions and beliefs that go along with the ancient art form.

Easter

So where does Easter come in?

Pysanky existed centuries before the life of Christ. However, as the Christian Church spread, it had a tendency to adopt/appropriate parts of the local culture wherever it went. Pagan symbols were reinterpreted with Christian meanings. Even the word “Easter” itself likely comes from the name of Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and springtime.

Ukrainian Easter Basket — The tradition of blessing Easter baskets full of food continues to this day in Ukrainian Orthodox churches. Photo by Suburban Grandma.

Decorating eggs became less about the return of the sun god and more about the resurrection of Christ. Over time, the tradition lost many of its ritual components, becoming increasingly associated with the Christian faith and the Easter holiday specifically.

Simplified versions of the practice became Easter traditions in other parts of the world, as well.

New Jersey factory building — PAAS Easter egg dye company headquarters in Newark, circa 1931. Via NJ.com

Artificial Colors

By the 1800s, chemists had figured out how to make synthetic dyes. Among the products manufactured in the early days of this revolutionary technology were Easter egg coloring kits. So instead of using your own vegetable scraps or whatever, you could go purchase dyes at your local drugstore.

One of these drugstores was owned by William M. Townley in Newark, New Jersey. He stocked Easter egg dye kits imported from Germany (the top supplier of all things synthetic dye until WWI), but he wasn’t really happy with them.

So he came up with his own. While he didn’t invent Easter eggs, he did start selling dye powders in convenient pre-wrapped packets.

The product was such a hit that the Townley family transitioned from pharmacists to factory owners. The Paas Dye Company was created in 1881 and would soon be operating year round just to meet the Easter season demand.

Ukrainian Easter egg — By Orest Ukrainsky (@orest_u) via Flickr. CCL.

Hidden Easter Eggs

While springtime egg decorating became more common around the world, the tradition was officially prohibited in its country of origin when the Soviets took over in the 1930s. Perhaps the ban was because pysanky were associated with Christianity or perhaps because the art form is distinctly Ukrainian.

Still, the tradition survived, like countless other folk customs that empires have attempted to suppress. Some people made pysanky in secret. Others left Ukraine. These expats may have felt an even heavier responsibility to pass their culture on to the next generation.

Giant Pysanka - Vegreville — Giant Pysanka in Vegreville, Alberta by eileenmak via Flickr. CCL.

When Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, the art form experienced a resurgence. Today, you can see pysanky in museums or take a class on making your own. As fragile as pysanky may look, they are surprisingly durable.

– More Pysanka Info –

“Pysanka” is the singular form of the word, “pysanky” is plural. I’ve attempted to use Ukrainian terms correctly, but I do not speak the language, so don’t take my word for it!
I’ll mention again the film Pysanka: The Ukrainian Easter Egg. It’s only about 15 minutes long. If you’re at all interested in pysanky, watch it! And don’t let the slightly 1970s trippy intro dissuade you.
Pysanky.info – history, patterns, photos, all things pysanky
Symbols Used on Pysanky from University of Alberta
Ukrainian Easter Egg (Pysanka): Tradition And Design – firsthand perspective on Ukrainian Easter traditions from Suburban Grandma
“Eggs Hatch Rebirth of Ukraine Culture” – L.A. Times article published shortly after Ukrainian independence (March 1992) about Ukrainian-Americans being “keepers of the flame” of traditions like pysanka.

Fundraisers for Ukraine:

Easter Egg (Pysanky) Workshop

April 30, 10am at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, Tucson.
$50 donation for registration benefits Ukrainian refugees and orphans.
Advance registration required.

May the 4th be with Ukraine

- May 4, 6pm in the Hotel Congress Plaza, Tucson.
- Live performances by Miss Olivia, Greg Morton, Salvador Duran, and Mark Insley.
- All proceeds go to World Central Kitchen and the refugee resettlement efforts of Lutheran Social Services Southwest.
- Donations online, at the door, and (if you’re unable to attend) checks payable to Hotel Congress LLC (memo: “May The Fourth Be with Ukraine”) and mailed to 311 E Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701.

St. Mary’s Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Phoenix is raising funds for Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine.

Ongoing
So far they’ve donated $32,000 to support emergency relief efforts, like shipping medical supplies!
You can give via Paypal or credit card, check payable to St. Mary’s Protectress (memo: “Help Ukraine”), in person at the Ukrainian Cultural Center (730 W. Elm St, Phoenix, AZ 85013), or wire transfer (routing #021000021, account #767167682).