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   Egger Beverly Gaus is one busy lady.    An active member of the International Egg Art Guild, The Texas Guild of Eggshell Artists, Eggshell Artists of North Texas (where she is Treasurer) and the Brewster Society (for designers and collectors of kaleidoscopes), she designs "Eggscope kits", teaches classes and still finds time to compete!  Successfully I might add.  She has won 5 blue ribbons for first place and  3 red ribbons for second place at the Dallas Egg Show since 1990.

   Beverly uses real eggs, Czechoslovakian glass beads and Austrian crystal to create her version of an art form that originated in Czarist Russia. Since our zine is devoted to emu, we are focusing on Beverly's emu egg creations in this article.  However, she does equally beautiful work utilizing Ostrich, rhea, goose, duck, guinea, turkey, partridge, finch, parakeet, dove, pigeon, swan, chuker, and three different kinds of quail eggs.   The length of time it takes to complete an egg depends on what you do to it.  "I can do a simple egg that is not beaded in one day.   It would take at least a whole weekend of steady work to bead a complete Emu egg.   This can even take longer if you do a special bead pattern."
  When doing a hinged egg, Beverly tells us that the first step is always to mark the egg in sections so you know the middle and the exact top and bottom so your cut lines will be straight and your pattern will be equal.  "I always make the top a little smaller then the bottom so the egg will not be top heavy. There are several good 'tools' to mark an egg in these sections. For an emu egg I use a silver quilters pencil. The lines will wash off but will show up for marking and cutting."

   When Beverly decides where the egg needs to be cut for her pattern she marks the center back and center front. "There are also several good tools to cut eggs. They range from about $55.00 for a tool that will attach to your home vacuum cleaner and runs at 100,000 rpm, on up to over a $1,000 for a air tool like your dentist uses. For simple cuts the $55.00 is just as good as the $1,000 one. A high rpm is the most importation thing a dremel is a low rpm and can be used but not as good for some things." 
   Beverly tells us there is a trick to cutting the hinge.  First you must 'rough up' the egg and the hinge where it will be glued.  Then cut a small section of the lid in the area that the hinge will be."Do not cut all the way around the lid yet. Glue the hinge in place using 5 minute epoxy. After the epoxy has set, cut the rest of the way around the lid so the egg will open. Then it can be decorated and lined."

  Beverly has been teaching the craft for 6 years now.   Classes are usually at least 3 hours when she goes out to teach to a group, small classes may be only 1 1/2 hours.  A kit is used and everyone makes the same thing, or nearly the same thing. The cost can be as low as $12.00.  Classes at the studio start at $5.00 plus supplies.  In addition to teaching at her studio in Lewisville, TX, and several places around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, she teaches at egg shows in CA, LA, WA. This year she will also be going to Australia to teach.  For more information on classes or purchasing one of her lovely creations, she may be contacted at:
 

Kaleidoscopes EGGsetera
Beverly Gaus
P. O. Box 294422
Lewisville, TX 75029-4422
Web page: http://www.eggscope.com
E-mail: beverly@eggscope.com
Phone: (888) ASK-EGGS or (888) 275-3447
Phone: (972) 221-1419 Fax: (972) 436-0368