Spruce up your Easter celebration this year with a simple method that produces decorative eggs covered in colorful, intricate patterns: silk-tie egg dyeing.
When I found this craft online, I couldn’t believe how silly and simple it looked. The beautiful outcome of wrapping these eggs with scraps of silk fabric seemed almost too good to be true. But, after only one try, I discovered how easy silk-tie egg dyeing really is.
It’s a great way to achieve the ultimate egg-dyeing results every time. All you need are neckties made with 100% silk. The eggs are wrapped with the deconstructed ties and left to boil in water and distilled vinegar. After 20 minutes, the tie pattern transfers to the eggs, creating a beautiful, pastel look that practically begs to be the centerpiece of your Easter dinner.
Thrift stores are a great place to look for cheap neckties — and they don’t need to be pretty. Cheesy ties make attractive eggs!
Sure, traditional Easter egg dyeing is tried and true — but this method exercises your creativity and produces uniformly gorgeous eggs. If the kids are more interested in decorating their own eggs by hand, this craft is just as fun (if not more so) for older kids and adults.
The eggs don’t require any prep, because they hard-boil during the silk-tie egg dyeing process. Blown-out eggs also work, if they’re wrapped carefully.
MORE: This DIY straw bag doubles as a trendy Easter basket
What you’ll need:
- Pot of water
- 100% silk ties
- Pillowcase
- Scissors
- Rubber bands or twist ties
- 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar
- Eggs
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Instructions:
- Cut down the seams of the ties. Remove the linings and cut any tags.
- Cut off a piece of the tie large enough to wrap around the egg. Cut off more fabric than you think you need; the design will turn out better if the egg is completely covered.
- Carefully wrap fabric around each egg, with the right side of the tie facing the egg. Tie off with a rubber band, twist tie or string. (A rubber band works best.)
- Cut off a square of the pillowcase roughly the same size as the piece of silk you wrapped around the egg. Wrap this around the egg just as you did the silk.
- Fully submerge the eggs in water and vinegar, allowing them to come to a boil. After 20 minutes, remove the eggs from the pot and place them on a paper towel.
- When the eggs finish cooling, gently remove the fabric to unveil the gorgeous egg!
Be sure to share your decorated eggs with us by tagging @HomeOftheHolidays and #Holidays365.