Silk Tie Easter Eggs
There are so many ways you can dye Easter eggs, but this method, in my opinion, is the most awesome technique out there. We bought these ties at the Good Will in Valencia. Each silk tie was no more than $2. You need to find the ugliest ties you can find and the paisley ties work best.
You will need white vinegar, one dozen raw eggs (you can also use blown-out eggs), a bunch of old silk ties, and an enamel pot.
Take your silk ties and cut up the backside of them until you get a large flat piece of silk. Discard the tie "filling" and cut the silk into squares so the pieces are large enough to cover one raw egg and tie at the top.
Wrap your raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the darker printed side (the nicer side) is touching the egg. (The lighter side is on the outside) It's OK if there are wrinkles.
I used my daughter's hair rubberbands to tie the eggs. You can use regular rubberbands, string, or twist ties from the market as well.
Here are all my silk-wrapped eggs. Now you need to wrap all these little guys with white material.
You need to wrap something white around your eggs so all the colors don't bleed. If you use cloth just use another twist tie to close the top. I used old baby socks and I didn't tie these because they were already tight. Maybe I would tie them next time. I don't know. They came out fine as is.
Place the eggs in cold water and add your 6 tablespoons of vinegar now. Bring the water to a boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain your eggs and let them cool before you remove the silk.
Do you see the bright white egg in the middle? Yeah, one of the ties was a FAKE! That's right. It said 100% silk on the tag, but it was polyester and it did not transfer the dye. Loser-tie, that's what I call it. Rude. OK, now on to the rest, aren't they just so beautiful?
When you scrunch the silk around the egg you will get some white lines and dots etc.
It's all part of the process.
Silk-Tie Easter Eggs
What You Need
One dozen eggs
Glass or enamel pot (you cannot use a metal pot)
Silk ties, scarves, shirts, or boxers
White sheets, white cloth napkins, or white socks to cover the silk wrapped eggs
Little rubberbands or twist ties
Water
6 tablespoons of white vinegar
Directions
1. Take your silk ties and cut up the backside of them until you get a large flat piece of silk. Discard the tie "filling" and cut the silk into squares so the pieces are large enough to cover one raw egg and tie at the top.
2. Wrap the raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the darker printed side (the nicer side) is face down to the egg.
3. Tie all eggs with a twist tie or rubber band.
4. Insert silk wrapped ties into the white baby socks. (Or whatever white material you are using. If using tablecloth squares you must rubber band again at the top.)
5. Place all wrapped eggs in your enamel pot and cover with water and add your vinegar. Bring water to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Remove eggs from water with tongs and let drain/cool on a rack.
7. Remove white wrapping and silk from eggs. Pretty cool huh?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I eat the eggs since they are hardboiled?
You can technically eat the eggs once they are cooked. Martha Stewart did this craft before as well and she recommended cooking the eggs for 25 minutes instead of 20 if you were planning on eating them. I am not sure what dyes are used in the dying process of the silk ties but if Martha gave the go-ahead I'm assuming she did some research : )
Can I use the same piece of silk over and over again?
No, you can only use the silk piece once, but you get about 3 pieces out of every tie.
Can I use other matierals besides silk?
No, so far only silk has worked for me.
Can I use other silk items besides ties?
Yes, silk scarves, blouses, boxers etc. All good choices.
Do I have to use raw eggs?
No, you can blow out your eggs and that way you can save them year after year. Just use a metal strainer to press down the hollow eggs when they are in your pot of boiling water so they don't float to the top.