How to ‘Dye” Easter Eggs With Silk Ties

There are just so many fun ways to dye and decorate Easter Eggs! When I grew up, it was either the little dye tablets or natural dyeing with onion skins. That’s all we ever did. Well, now the sky’s the limit. You can paint them, decoupage, wrap and crackle them. Turns out you can also print on them with silk ties.

Supplies Needed:
– Raw Eggs
– 100% Silk Ties (thrift store – check the label to make sure they’re 100% Silk)
– Scrap Fabric s.a. old sheet or pillow case
– Scissors
– Thread
– Old Pot or Pan
– White Vinegar
– Water

Using your scissors, cut the ties and the fabric into squares, large enough to wrap the eggs completely.  I think I cut mine to about 5 inches square.

Next, place one of your eggs in the middle of a square of silk fabric. Then, take a length of thread and wrap it around the bundle several times. Tie off the excess at one end. You want the silk print to make good contact with the egg shell.

Wrap the eggs in the scrap fabric.

Now, partially fill your cook pot with water and then add about 1/4 cup of the vinegar. Carefully, place the wrapped eggs in the water making sure they’re covered with water.Since I don’t know what kind of dye was used on the silk ties, I boiled my eggs in an old pot. You can pick one up at the thrift store for a couple bucks. Better safe than sorry!

Bring the water to an easy boil and just simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. You need to let the eggs cool completely. I know, this is the hard part! The waiting ….

Now, this is the fun part! The unwrapping of your little pieces of art.

Aren’t they beautiful? Two of my dyed easter eggs were much paler than the others. Upon inspection, I noticed that those silk ties had a label that reads “Stain Resistant”. This means they’ve been treated with something to keep them clean. It also means the dye won’t be released like on a non-treated tie. Those eggs are still lovely, tho.