Give your Easter eggs a one-of-a-kind look with this simple silk-dyeing technique.
Tools and Materials
Large or extra-large raw eggs
Glass or enamel pot
Scissors
Pieces and scraps of 100 percent silk -- including cut-up silk ties, blouses, or boxers -- large enough to cover an egg
Squares of undyed cotton or pieces of old white sheets, pillowcases, or tablecloths that are large enough to cover silk-wrapped eggs
Twist ties
3 tablespoons white vinegar
Warm water
Tongs or spoon
Cooling rack
Vegetable oil
Paper towels
Silk-Dyed Easter Eggs How-To
1. Cut silk into pieces large enough to wrap around a raw egg.
2. Tightly wrap a raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the printed side of the material is facing the egg. Secure with a twist tie.
3. Place the silk-wrapped egg in a piece of undyed cotton and secure tightly with another twist-tie.
4. Place egg(s) in an enamel or glass pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover eggs completely. Add three tablespoons of white vinegar to the water.
5. Bring water to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 40 minutes or longer.
6. Remove eggs from water with tongs or spoon, place on a cooling rack, and let cool.
7. Remove silk from cooled egg.
8. For shiny eggs, wipe with a paper towel dabbed in vegetable oil.
Resources
Martha used half-yards of printed silk from Mood Designer Fabrics. Silk goods such as ties, blouses, and boxers can be purchased at rummage sales or thrift stores. Silk pieces can be reused multiple times to dye eggs. Special thanks to Jackie Blais for sharing this craft. For more Easter crafts, decorations, and recipes, check out our Everything Easter center.
Can you do the same thing with blown eggs?
Can you use the silk scarves more than once?
What about eating the eggs? Is the commercial dye harmful to humans?
oops, we wrapped eggs, not gees!1 ha ha ha
We tried this using a stainless steel pot and it made no difference. We wrapped our gees in the silk than with aluminum fioil (dull side in). This really shouldn't have worked, so we were suprised when it did. The eggs were absolutely beautiful! The foil was easier for the kids too.
oops i mean as long at it is silk ribbon. lol
wonder if you can use the wide wire ribbon as well..i guess as long as it is ribbon.
Hi Basky - we do not recommend eating the eggs.
Groovyg - blown eggs can be used for this project, but they need to be filled with water so they don't float.
Can you do this with blown out eggs so you can keep them????
Are these eggs edible after being done this way?
This is so cool!!! I had a bunch of old ties from another project and tried it on a few eggs. I will be doing all my eggs this way. Some may not have been super bright, but the patterns were terrific. I will be stocking up on silk ties from garage sales this summer for next year!!!
This worked for most of the silks we tried, though a small, high-contrast print worked best (more abstract prints were not as stunning, but also transferred well).
We blew-out some of the eggs before wrapping. It was challenging to keep them immersed, but they turned out well, too. Perhaps covering them with a steamer basket would remedy this.
Cotton absorbs dyes readily. Wrapping the eggs very tightly should keep the dye from smearing on the egg, providing a clean transfer.
This worked for most of the silks we tried, though a small, high-contrast print worked best (more abstract prints were not as stunning, but also transferred well).
We blew-out some of the eggs before wrapping. It was challenging to keep them immersed, but they turned out well, too. Perhaps covering them with a steamer basket would remedy this.
Cotton absorbs dyes readily. Wrapping the eggs very tightly should keep the dye from smearing on the egg, providing a clean transfer.
This worked for most of the silks we tried, though a small, high-contrast print worked best (more abstract prints were not as stunning, but also transferred well).
We blew-out some of the eggs before wrapping. It was challenging to keep them immersed, but they turned out well, too. Perhaps covering them with a steamer basket would remedy this.
Cotton absorbs dyes readily. Wrapping the eggs very tightly should keep the dye from smearing on the egg, providing a clean transfer.
Yes, they are safe to eat, but boiling for 40 minutes, these eggs won't be tasty!
Yes, they are safe to eat, but boiling for 40 minutes, these eggs won't be tasty!
HI MY NAME IS RONIT AND FOR ME ALSO THIS DID NOT WORK FOR ME CAN I GET HELP?
HI THIS DID NOT WORK FORME AND PLEASE I NEED HELP
This did not work for me...I used some slik ties and the colors all ran together including the cotton. what went wrong ?
Are these eggs safe to eat after dying them with fabric dye?
Hi, I just loved the effect of these eggs. I wonder, do these keep if boiled for 40 minutes or should they be blown out??? Please advise