BiO-Lancaatar Farming, Saturday, April 2,1994
i i)
Scratch Egg Art
BETH MILLER When Nickolina Jacoby sees
Cumberland Co. Correspondent an egg, she thinks of scratching it
instead of scrambling it
The York Springs woman is a
YORK SPRINGS (Adams Co.)
Everyone gets help from mom, Nickolina Jacoby, as they
decorate their eggs for the holiday.
3N
T
,* ’ ♦
Emmanuel Jacoby uses a screw to start his scratching.
I
IP
'\vA>
self-taught expert in the craft of
making ornate scratch egg art out
of common, everyday hardboiled
eggs.
Jacoby said she began to teach
herself the craft 12 years ago
while she was living with a farm
family near York Springs.
She became interested in the
craft after she ran across a refer
ence to scratch eggs when she was
looking up information on Ukrai
nian egg decorating.
It looked like just the thing for
her, she said, so she found out all
that she could about the technique.
Then, she began to experiment.
Jacoby remembered that one
time when she took some of her
eggs to the nearby Brethren
Home, some of the senior citizens
who live there recalled how their
fathers or grandfathers used to
scratch out designs, like bunnies,
on eggs.
In the years that she has been
practicing her art, Jacoby has
given presentations about the craft
to homemaker’s groups and
church functions. She said she
also has displayed her eggs along
side the handmade furniture her
husband makes at various craft
shows.
Jacoby said she has also done
an egg on a paid commission. “It
was a dragon,” she said.
Another time, she sold an egg
tree during an auction to raise
money for a public television sta
tion, she said
To make the eggy art, Jacoby
said you must start with unblem
ished and uncracked eggs. She
says she likes to use eggs from
free-running chickens better than
commercial eggs. The eggs from
the store have a much thinner shell
and break much easier, she
explained.
Although she works with hard
boiled eggs, Jacoby said scratch
art can be done on blown eggs, but
when you are working with kids it
is a much better idea to use hard
boiled eggs.
Once you have selected your
eggs, Jacoby said you should layer
them in a kettle with onion skins
put a layer of onion skins in the
kettle, then a layer of eggs, then
another layer of onion skins.
Cover the skins and eggs with
water, bring to a boil and simmer
for about two hours. That will help
the eggs to keep, she said. The
iany
ier am
oldest egg she has is seven years
old.
After simmering, you should
remove the eggs while they are
still hot and dry them on towels.
Check for cracks and throw away
those that are cracked. Jacoby said
you can wait a day or so if you
want to see if mote cracks appear.
To make your designs, you
should use a sharp implement that
is comfortable to hold, like an X
acto knife. She uses an X-acto
knife for her scratching, but for
children she has discovered that a
drywall screw works well because
it has a sharp point and it stays
sharp because it is made of hard
ened steel.
Jacoby said she has been told
and read that people used to use
jack knives and darning needles to
do the scratching.
Choose designs that appeal to
you. You can find designs from
fraktur art, books and magazines.
The designs can be as elaborate
or as simple as you want.
You Ask *
? P i ? ?«?
You Answer
Questions and answers for this column should be addressed
to You Ask—You Answer, Lou Ann Good, P.O. Box 609, Ephra
ta, PA 17522.
QUESTION—A. Nolt of New Holland would like to know the
complete poem that was recited In the 1920 s when her father-in
law went to school. The poem contains these lines: The carpent
er's house is falling down. The preacher’s kids are the worse in
town..,.
ANSWER Bill Stock. Plymouth, wanted to know where to
buy an incubator to hatch about a dozen eggs tor a school pro
ject. Thanks to Audrey Coleman who suggests he contact the
Central Tractor Farm and Family Center in his territory. They are
in the Central Tractor Store at 1215 N. High St., Millville, N.J.
Thanks also to Bessie Hutschenrenter, Airville, who suggests he
call 1-800-558-9595.
Ir hands at scratching aggs.
ty try tl
"The craft can be very interest
ing to children,” she said. She
knows because her four children,
Emmanuel, Bethany, Luther, and
Sarah, aU are interested in the
craft
"Older children have better eye
hand coordination and can handle
the egg and the scratching tool
easier, but the young kids seem to
just have fun trying to decorate
their eggs with a few sratches here
and there.” Jacoby said.
She said that the longer you
work on an egg, the more detail
and charm it will have. You
should experiment with your tool
and use its point for fine lines and
the edge for shading.
Jacoby said you also can exper
iment with natural dyes, like those
made from beets and red cabbage.
You should’nt worry if your
egg starts to rattle when it gets
older. The eggs will start to do that
because they will dry up on the
inside, but there will be no smell
as long as the shell of the egg
remains whole.