Embroider an Easter Egg Design

Painting and dyeing are the most popular way to decorate Easter eggs. If you want to try something more unique this year, why not try embroidering a design instead? Most people would not think of embroidering an egg because of the hard shell. With a few clever preparatory steps and a dremel, however, it is possible to embroider a simple design onto the egg. Give this design a try, and leave everyone wondering how you managed it!

Steps

Using a Real Egg

1. Get a raw, good-quality egg. Try to get a farm-raised egg, if you can. It will have a thicker shell, so it will be less-likely to shatter. You can use a white egg or a brown on, depending on your design.
2. Blow out the egg, if desired. You will be slicing the egg open with a dremel later on. The dust from the egg shell will get into the yolk and make it inedible. If you want to save the yolk, blow the egg out now. You will get an extra hole at the top and bottom of your egg, but you can cover them up later on.
3. Use a dremel and a diamond cutting disc to cut a hole into the egg. Hold the egg over a sink or bowl, then place the tool perpendicular to the side of the egg. Use the tool to slice off a sliver from the side of the egg.
   • Don't cut the hole on the top or bottom of the egg.
   • If you left the yolk in, watch out for splatters.
4. Discard the yolk if you didn't blow it out earlier. If you chose not to blow out the yolk earlier, you will have to discard it. This is because the previous step would have gotten egg shell dust into the yolk.
5. Wash the egg with soap and warm water. Be careful so as not to crush the shell. Don't worry if the edges on the hole look jagged. This will be the back of the egg, and you'll get better with more practice.
6. Draw your pattern onto the egg with a pencil. Simple patterns, such as cross-stitch, dashed lines, and zigzags work best. Make dots wherever the lines end, or wherever you'd push the needle through the fabric.
7. Drill holes into the egg with a dremel and mini drill bit. The holes need to be large enough for an embroidery needle and floss to fit through. Again, only drill the holes where you'd push the needle through the fabric.
   • Go slowly and carefully; the curved surface of the egg ill make this step tricky.
8. Wipe the egg clean with white vinegar. This will remove any dust and pencil marks. If you don't have any white vinegar, you can try soap and water or even a piece of bread!
9. Fill in any mistakes with spackling or paper clay. If you blew out your egg earlier, or if you made too many holes, you can cover them up at this point with spackling or paper clay. Smooth the spackling/clay over the hole and let it dry. Buff away any roughness with a damp cloth or fine-grit sandpaper.
   • This only works with white eggs. If you used brown eggs, you could try painting the spackling/clay to match the color.
10. Thread an embroidery needle with 2 to 3 strands of embroidery floss. Cut a length of embroidery thread. Pull it apart so that you have groups of 2 to 3 strands. Thread one of these groups through your embroidery needle.
11. Knot the thread, and begin embroidering. After you knot the end of the thread, puh the needle through one of the holes, starting from the inside of the egg. Begin sewing on the egg using cross-stitches or simple straight stitches.
12. Switch colors to make your design more interesting. Finish your first color with the needle inside the egg. Pull the needle off of the embroidery floss, then thread it with a new color. Knot the end, and continue embroidering. Leave the tail end of the first color hanging inside the egg.
13. Secure the ends of the threads with glue, then trim them. Once you are done with your design, place a small drop of glue right next to each hole that has thread hanging out of it. Press the thread into the glue. Let the glue dry, then snip off the excess thread with a pair of small, sharp scissors.
14. Display the egg with the hole on the back. This will make it look like the entire egg is embroidered and hide the hole from sight.

Using a Plastic Egg

1. Get a plastic egg that will work with your design. Most plastic Easter eggs will open widthwise. These are great for simple designs, like zigzags and stripes. If you are using an image, like a flower or a butterfly, the seam will only get in the way. An egg that opens lengthwise will work much better.
2. Create a template on a sheet of paper. Find a simple image online, print it, then cut out. If you can't find an image that you like, you can use a sticker instead, or even draw one. The template needs to be a little smaller than your egg. Don't go too small, however, or it will be hard to embroider.
   • Flowers, tulips, chicks, and bunny faces are great options.
   • If you want a simpler pattern, like zigzags or dotted lines, skip this step.
3. Stick the template onto a plastic egg. Double-sided tape would work the best here. If you can't find any, roll a strip of tape into a loop with the sticky side out, and use that instead. If you are using a sticker, simply place it onto the egg.
   • If your egg opens lengthwise, make sure that the template doesn't cross the seam.
   • If you want a simpler pattern, like zigzags or dotted lines, skip this step.
4. Draw dots around the template with a permanent marker. Space the dots as evenly as you can, about ¼ to ½ inch (0.64 to 1.27 centimeters). The bigger your egg is, the further apart the dots should be. You will eventually be threading your string through these.
   • If you want a simpler pattern, like zigzags or dotted lines, make the dots where the lines would connect.
5. Drill holes into the egg where the dots are. You can do this using a dremel with a small bit. Make sure that the holes are big enough for your desired cord to fit through.
   • You can use embroidery floss, thin yarn, or baker's twine.
6. Wrap some tape around the end of your string. This will stiffen the end of the string and make it easier to thread through the holes. You can also thread the string though a plastic, flexible yarn needle. Don't use a metal one; it won't bend enough to fit the curves of the egg.
7. Weave the string through the holes. Thread the string through one of the holes on the egg, starting from the inside. Weave the string over and under through the holes until you are back where you started. Work one egg half at a time.
   • Leave a long tail of string inside the egg. You'll use this to tie the two ends together.
8. Weave the string back through the holes, if desired. Weaving the string back and forth through the holes will leave gaps, just like sewing a straight stitch. If you want a solid line, instead of a dotted one, simply go over your design one more time, this time, making sure to go under and over, so that you fill the gaps in.
9. Consider switching to a different color for a more unique design. Finish your first color inside the egg. Cut the strong so that it is a few inches/centimeters long. Thread your second color through the next hole, starting from the inside of the egg. Weave a few stitches to secure the strong, then tie the two ends together in a double-knot. Continue weaving with your second color until you want to change it.
   • Trim off the excess strings after you tie them together.
10. Tie the ends of the string together. Once you are back where you started, tie the two ends of the string together into a double-knot. Snip off the excess string. If the knot is not secure enough, cover it with a drop of glue. Hot glue will wok the best.
11. Snap the two halves of the egg together. If you want to close the eggs permanently, run some super glue along the rim of one of the halves before you push them together. Let the glue dry completely.

Tips

• Look at images of cross-stitch and embroidery patterns for ideas.
• Simple designs work best for eggs.
• Dye the egg first for a more interesting look.
• Use images related to Easter or spring.

Warnings

• Dremeling and drilling should only be handled by an adult.

Things You'll Need

Using a Real Egg

• Raw eggs
• Dremel
• Diamond cutting disc
• Mini drill bit
• Embroidery floss
• Embroidery needles
• Small, sharp scissors
• Liquid glue
• Spackling or paper clay (optional)

Using a Plastic Egg

• Plastic Easter eggs
• Paper
• Tape
• Permanent marker
• Dremel with small bit
• Colorful string
• Tape or plastic yarn needle
• Scissors
• Glue (optional)

Sources and Citations

See also

• Create Easter Decor Confetti
• Reuse Plastic Easter Eggs
• Transfer Images to Easter Eggs
• Make Resurrection Rolls
• Make Illuminated Fireflies from Plastic Easter Eggs
• Blow Out Eggs
• Dye Eggs for Easter
• Decorate Easter Eggs
• Make Papier Mâché Eggs
• Make an Easter Basket

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