I do love to dye eggs. It is an Easter tradition for which I always make time. I have been making natural dyes for years (and occasionally I have picked up a kit from the market as well). This spring, I came across the egg dying app from Martha Stewart. Wow. That is one crazy-great app you never thought you needed (I have absolutely no affiliation with the app—I just love eggs).

Browsing through, I wanted to give these delicate leaf designs a try. I had made a blue dye from cabbage, and I thought it might create a cyanotype effect. Somehow, feathers made their way into my thinking. Feathered eggs just seemed right. I used soft and pliable guinea feathers from the craft store. The spines of each feather were painted with egg white per the MSL instructions and then gently adhered to the egg.

I hated to go buy the nylons suggested for holding your design in place (such a waste of packaging), but I found a pair of (clean) snagged tights in my drawer and cut those up instead. Each feather was secured tightly in the fabric bundle and tied in the back with a rubber band.

I left them in the dye for a few hours (the natural dyes take some time) and then unwrapped them, preparing myself for disappointment. There were some globs where I might have been a little heavy-handed with the egg white, but I was thrilled to see the imprint of the delicate spine and fringe of the feathers on each one.

I think the tie-dye design on the underside is pretty great as well.

A good egg.

—SCB

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