Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Tie Dyed Easter Eggs

Tie Dye Easter EggsI saw this egg dying craft on Martha Stewart's site and I have no idea if everyone else on the planet has already seen it but I'm going to take the risk that the majority of you out there are just as behind the times as I am and this will be new to you as well.

It's the actual, the literal tie-dyed eggs.

This is a particularly good project to do with children because first you get the thrill of destruction--cutting up an old tie somehow feels kind of fun.

Second, you never really know what you're going to get in the end. As you can see each pattern lends individual results and it's fun to guess what you're going to get. I used three of Andrew's old ties that are pretty neutral but I would have loved to see what some of his flaming hot silk ties from India would have produced. Though if I'd got caught cutting up one of those it probably would have pushed his love too far.

Third, there's no mess like you get with regular egg dying. Always a bonus with kids.

And fourth, it's really, really really easy to do.

Tie Dye Easter Eggs1. Wrap a perfectly normal fresh white egg with a scrap of silk (you can use old ties or any piece of silk) outside facing in against the shell.

2. Fasten the fabric with a rubber band.

3. Stick the eggs in a small saucepan, fill with water plus three tablespoons of vinegar, then bring them to a boil.

4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Then remove, cool and unwrap to see what you've created--the silk will transfer magically to the egg. Amazing. (If you want them shiny you can rub a dab of cooking oil on the shell to slick them up.)

Interesting to note that you can reuse the scraps of silk on eggs multiple times, depending on the piece of silk and the quality of the dye.

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44 comments:

Carebear said...

Whoa. That is so cool. And such a unique way to decorate eggs. This is our first year coloring eggs - our oldest is two and a half, so we're going to do the traditional method. But when he's a bit older, this would be fun to try! I'm stopping over by way of your guest post at SEven Clown Circus. Loved your post about your sweet and thoughtful little guy. Here to check out your blog because I love to write - and read things that others write! Off to look around...

branda50 said...

The kids won't believe me when I say we are going to use ties to color eggs!..Can't wait...

One Mom said...

I LOVE this idea! Old silk ties are one thing we have in abundance...good thing you posted this before I started my spring purging!

Jolanthe said...

So cool! :) (and Andrew is most likely thankful NOT to see the patterns of his favorite silk ties!)

Jolanthe

chelle said...

How cool is that!

Janet said...

How much fun are these! The Mountain Man has very few ties, and those he does have feature the Grinch, Pooh, and frogs, so it may mean a trip to the thrift shop, but I'm definitely going to try it.

And I just got the newsletter this morning and I LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE it!!!!

(Did I mention I'm quite enamored of your newsletter?)

jean said...

I saw this but I couldn't believe that it would work. Not that Martha would ever lie to me, but it seemed to easy to be true. So now I have to go raid the tie rack and try it. Thanks!

Carina said...

Very cool. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that none of Art's ties are silk. He never wears them though, so if they are...

Maybe I'll check out the local thrift store!

pilgrimama said...

Wow,those eggs look amazing!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, those are stunning. I am so gonna try it. I am a single mom though and dont have any ties around but I think I have a few old silk scarfs. I might go bug my dad to see if he has any I can cut up. heehee. I know there has to be some over there from the 70s.

Have a great day everyone.

Just Mom said...

These are fantastic! I've been looking for new ways to dye eggs for Easter. Thanks for sharing the idea.

jacjewelry said...

What a neat and fun activity! No, I haven't seen it. :)

a Knitting Junkie! said...

Michelle, woman! I can't tell you enough how much I love the things you come up with and share with us. You are so awesome!
Love ya!
---------------------------
Hugs, Health and Happiness,
♥♥Anita♥♥
gmail: eat.sleep.knit
http://aknittingjunkie.blogspot.com/

Amy said...

Wow...
That is so neat. It does not look too messy either. Great job today on your post at Angie's have a great day.

Alison Kerr said...

Great project - amazing! By the way, I love the newsletter and I shared what I like about it on Facebook this morning.

Anonymous said...

I am behind the times I have never seen that before! This is awesome.

cat said...

Gosh, that looks so cool!

Scribbit said...

I bet you could get some good patterns at a thrift store--I'd love to see what a red or green would do.

Maddy said...

What a great idea. My husband has a zillion left over ties from when he used to work in England. Never, ever wears them now. That said I'm not sure how many, if any, are made of silk, now if only I hadn't cut off all the labels.......
Cheers

Ash said...

That is brilliant! I might have to hit the thrift store as well. Business casual office attire has killed the tie around here.

(adorable post at Angie's :-)

Nicole said...

Those are so cool! How did someone figure that out!?

Mimi said...

I can't wait to try this out!

Madeline said...

I saw that a day or two ago, and it so makes me want to go thrifting for some ties. Glad to know it really works.
By the way, your newsletter is fabulous!

Danyele Easterhaus said...

shut up...that is more than awesome! i love it! came over form angie's btw...and your blog is uber fab!

jenn said...

i wonder if this only works on white eggs??

Jill in MA said...

This is awesome! And I love the thrift store idea -- they might have old ties and old silk scarves.

Oh, and I really love the newsletter, too!

Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com said...

What a cool idea! I'll definitely have to try this with kids someday!

Flea said...

WAY COOL! I'm going to try it. :)

Carolyn V. said...

Look out old closet ties! Here I come!

Patricia said...

That is so cool. I can't wait to try it out with my children. My hubby surely has several dozen ties that can be offered up for the sacrifice. MWAHHHHAAAAA

Kellie said...

That's awesome! Thanks:)

Alison Kelley said...

I can't wait to try it! My husbands has a ton of ties he doesn't like anymore so I'll be taking them to try this.

I love your newsletter!

Fawn said...

Wow! That's amazing -- I had no idea. I've tried other Martha crafts before and they're not always as easy as she (or rather her magazine minions) make them out to be, so it's nice to see that you tried it and got such great results! I LOVE the diamond-patterned one.

Kelli said...

Thanks for the reminder...I saw this on her show--one of those rare moments when I get to watch tv--I had forgotten about it altogether!

Anonymous said...

These are so original. So timely for Easter and the April Fools.

Btw, I wonder if you'd be interested to exchange links with me? I'm mom to a 14-month-old boy and I love blogging about my experiences as a mom. My blog is at RaisingDaniel.com. You can visit it and then let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Althea

Alaska Mom said...

That is really a cool idea. I am definately going to try it. I think my kids will have a great time and I can get rid of some old ties. YEH

Ami here said...

Thanks for sharing. I went thrift store shopping today just to find silk ties. I live in Anchorage too, and quickly discovered the difference in prices at several local thrift shops. Finally found some 100% silk, great colored ties for $1 each. Yipee! I can't wait to show my three kids...its like a magic trick.

Julie Holt said...

This sounds so COOL! I was thinking you might be able to find silk remnants for cheap at fabric stores and I also thought of the thrift store angle... For "Ami here": which thrift stores have ties for $1?? Thanks Michelle for this great blog!

Damselfly said...

How fun! Never would have thought of this.

diyfrugal said...

You come up with the most amazing ideas.

Amy said...

I am so doing these this year and bookmarking for my notebook!!

Megan Cobb said...

That's fascinating! All I can say is, poor Al.

Leah said...

This is awesome. Great Post!!

Thanks!

Scribbit said...

I received word from a reader that if you use a stain-protectant treated tie that the results aren't as good. Good to know huh?