One of our family Easter traditions is to dye eggs with pieces of old silk. I saw a cute little old lady show Martha how to do it a few years ago and I ran upstairs right then to steal a tie! It’s way cooler than those cups of neon liquid that end up all over your clothes, your furniture and your hands plus it gives you an excuse to rid a man’s closet of ugly ties.

I’m going to be short on words today because I have a ton of pictures to post! Let’s get started.

For full, printable directions: Click here.
And to see tons of tie-dyed eggs submitted by OBB readers, Click here!

Here’s the quick run-down:
You need 100% silk for this to work. Make sure to check the labels to make sure you’re not buying polyester, which can look similar. I grab old ties at the thrift store where they’re all under a buck. And remember: when it comes to ties, you may not want ugly ones on your man, but ugly ties do make pretty eggs! You could also use silk from an old blouse, a scarf, whatever.

I try to find an assortment of colors and patterns. Usually dark blues, purples, and reds work the best, but it’s fun to experiment with all kinds of things. The interesting thing is that you never know how much of the color and pattern will transfer to the eggs. Sometimes ties I think will be awesome really disappoint, and ones I didn’t think much of make the most beautiful eggs. Here’s the ties I picked up this year:


Usually it will tell you if it’s 100% silk right on the main label of the tie, but a lot of them don’t, and if that’s the case, check that little tiny end, it’s usually hiding there.


The first step is to deconstruct the tie. Snip the seams and remove the lining so you are just left with the silk. (And yes, this old Christian Dior Tie, which I love, was only 50 cents at the thrift store!)


Next you cut a piece large enough to cover an egg. Wrap the egg with the right side of the fabric making contact with the egg. The right side is the printed side, or the side that would be on the outside of the tie. You want to try to wrap the fabric as tight as you can without breaking the egg of course. The more direct contact the silk has with the egg shell the clearer the imprint of the pattern. Where there are folds in the fabric you’ll get kind of a swirly water color effect. I love those parts- it adds to the charm. Once wrapped, tie with a piece of string or a twisty tie. (Do yourself a favor and go with the twisty tie!)

A little thought: You’re going to use the largest part of the tie, at the bottom, and be left with the rest of it which might not be large enough to use again. What I do is take all of those pieces and just stitch them together on my sewing machine. It’s really fast and then I’m left with a brand new piece of silk to cut squares from. You can get a lot more use out of them that way and it’s fun to combine fabrics. Also, you can use a piece of silk more than once, but it loses a large amount of it’s potency after the first dye, so I always just toss the used pieces.


Looking at the picture below makes me happy. It just does. How cute are those little guys? They have no idea what’s comin’…


After the eggs are wrapped, you’re going to wrap them again with a light colored light weight piece of fabric. An old pillowcase or sheet is perfect. If you go to the thrift store to get ties, you may want to grab a pillowcase too. Otherwise you might get impatient at home and just take one from your kid’s room. Don’t tell my husband I did that.

Put all those little guys in a pot and cover them with water. Add 1/4 C vinegar and bring it to a boil. After about 20 minutes you can remove the eggs and set them in a colander or on a towel to dry and cool. Once they’re cool enough to handle you can remove the fabric.

This is my favorite part.
I get so antsy waiting for them to cool. It’s always a surprise to see what went on in that little package. Below are some of my results. I have to say that the first one is probably my favorite egg of all the ones I’ve ever done. I can’t believe how clearly those flowers transferred and how bold the colors turned out. Incredible!


I absolutely love the cool stripy, swirly thing going on in this one


This is one of the disappointments I talked about. I was so excited for a green tie and I thought the pattern was cool (ya know, for an egg) but it turned out super light and muted. Still pretty though, kind of like water colors.





I almost didn’t buy this blue tie because it looked boring, but I’m glad I did. Remember: bad ties make good eggs!





So that’s that. Try this out and let me know how it goes. Everyone will wonder how on earth you did it! Just tell them you’re a genius.

Rub the eggs with a bit of oil on a paper towel to make them glossy and beautiful!

And if you do try it out, make sure to take some pictures and put them on our facebook page so we can all admire them!

Safety Note: Note that the dye that is transferred to your egg is not food safe dye.  Who knows where the silk came from our how it was colored. To be on the safe side, I don’t recommend eating the eggs.

Using Blown Eggs:  Click here for a tutorial on using blown eggs.

155comments

  1. 1
    Becca says:

    These turned out great, Sara. I love the paisley one! I still want to try this with blown eggs so they could be reused. Do you think you would be able to wrap them tight enough if they were empty without breaking them? If it worked, I would fill them with chocolate and give them away!

  2. 2
    Erin says:

    I am totally trying this tomorrow. I can’t wait. Also, thanks becca for the additional ideas… I bet you could wrap them and die them straight from the fridge and then drain them after. Such a great Idea to chocolate fill them. I love this blog!!!!!

  3. 3
    Cami says:

    These look awesome! I’m going to have to make a trip to DI tonight! Thanks for sharing this idea!

  4. 4
    Lisa says:

    Some of those ties are pretty freaky but the eggs look awesome! I am going to have to try that.

  5. 5
    Sara says:

    Oh Lisa, I forgot to put this in the instructions, but one rule applies: The freakier the tie, the prettier the egg! (Too bad that doesn’t apply to guys as well, lol)

  6. 6
    Morgan and Derek says:

    So pretty! I love it!

  7. 7
    Kathi and Ryan says:

    Hmmm…maybe it’s even time to dejunk some of Ryan’s ties… These are so awesome. I can’t wait to try it!

  8. 8
    Shelby says:

    these look absolutely fantastic. thanks for the tip!

  9. 9
    Jeff says:

    I just did my first batch as a test run, and the tie I sacrificed had a fairly large print. Also, I apparently didn’t put the silk tight enough around the egg, but they came out absolutely beautiful. My dyed eggs look very … geological, like some sort of desert stone that’s been tumbled and polished.

    Wonderful!

  10. 10
    knittingiris says:

    Amazing!
    And I just drove past the thrift store a not 20 minutes ago, wondering if there was anything I needed to pop in and check for. Now I know.

  11. 11
    The Other Tiger says:

    Woooooooooooow…..

    I had no idea you could do this! I’ll have to email my mom and see if she wants to give it a shot this year. :-)

  12. 12
    Aunt LoLo says:

    Oh my goodness, can you say GORGEOUS?! Wow…

  13. 13
    Princess of Everything (and then some) says:

    I had no idea that this could be done. Your eggs are just beautiful! I have got to try this!

  14. 14
    MissouriMormonMama says:

    What a cool idea! Thanks!

  15. 15
    Ashley says:

    I absolutely adore this idea and will definitely be trying it this year! Thanks for the guide!!

  16. 16
    mbbatch04 says:

    creative!

  17. 17
    CaSaundraLeigh says:

    These are absolutely beautiful–now I have another excuse to hit up Goodwill this weekend! I will post pics for sure if it all works out well with my eggs. Thanx so much for sharing! =)

  18. 18
    Ben and Angela says:

    What a fantastic idea, I am so excited to try this. I am sure my husband will think I am nuts . . . I will be sure and tell him that I am genius.

  19. 19
    *kimmie* says:

    Beautiful! I’ve always wanted to try it. I’m glad to see they turn out well when “real people” make them and not just Martha! =)

  20. 20
    Erika says:

    Wow, those are amazing! I’ve never heard of such a thing but I can’t wait to try it. My kids will think it’s so cool.

  21. 21
    OREGON SOUTHWORTHS says:

    This looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it this year. This is very Martha Stewart and my grandma will surely be impressed when we bring them over for Easter dinner!

  22. 22
    Katie says:

    Wow! Those look great! So do you wrap them with the ties when they’re still raw, or do you wrap boiled ones and end up boiling them twice?

  23. 23
    Melissa D says:

    can you re-use the tie? These are so pretty!!!

  24. 24
    Sara says:

    Katie- You wrap raw eggs. First with the silk and then the fabric goes right over it. Then it’s boiled, so just boiled once.

    Melissa- You can use the tie more than once, but it loses a lot of it’s potency after the first die so I usually just toss them. You can get a lot more use out of the left-over ties though by sewing the scraps together to make a new piece of fabric

  25. 25
    Dana says:

    Wow! I’m not a crafty person at all and I really want to try this. They are beautiful! Thanks for sharing. My kids are grown and I still love coloring eggs, this will be a perfect project for me.

  26. 26
    The Food Hunter says:

    Those are amazing looking eggs. Thanks for sharing that.

  27. 27
    Kotryna says:

    Wow! What a cool idea! I’m sharing this with my friends now!

  28. 28
    Mrs. Mordecai says:

    Okay, I would have never thought of that. Those eggs are awesome!

  29. 29
    Marija says:

    WOW! Best eggs ever!!!

  30. 30
    Deseree says:

    These look absolutely beautiful! My husband doesn’t have any ties…looks like I’m off to the goodwill!

  31. 31
    Emily Cannon says:

    brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, you gals never disappoint me!

  32. 32
    Val says:

    OMG! Where were you 20 years ago when I had to help a little 1 die Easter Eggs?! These are BRILLIANT! Thank you for sharing your idea & pictures

  33. 33
    aleta meadowlark says:

    Oh my god that is so amazingly awesomely cool, I CANNOT WAIT to try these at Easter!!!

  34. 34
    Esi says:

    This is such a cool idea! You don’t have to use any additional dye and you get amazing designs.

  35. 35
    Carolyn says:

    this is so crazy! it looks so fun to do, too. keeping it in the back of my mind for a lazy day : )

  36. 36
    Chic Cookies says:

    This is way too brilliant! I posted a link on my edible crafts column (again) at ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com. Thanks for sharing the aforementioned brilliance! meaghan

  37. 37
    Ceridwen says:

    I almost never color eggs, but I might have to do it this year – this is too cool!

  38. 38
    SusanQ says:

    Thank you for the wonderful tutorial and what a great idea! I can’t wait to ask my husband to clean out his tie rack ;)

  39. 39
    Erika says:

    Those look awesome! Love it!

  40. 40
    sarah j. gim says:

    on the MOST VIEWED page for TasteSpotting!

    http://www.tastespotting.com/popular/views/last-week/1

  41. 41
    Erica says:

    These are the rock’ness easter eggs my eyes have every laid upon. I am going to have to give them a try.

  42. 42
    LollyChops says:

    wow.. I am just totally blown away by how cool these are! I have not an inch of silk in the house.. it’s NOT FAIR! I am going to have to hit up the thrift store this weekend.. for sure!

    Thanks for sharing!

  43. 43
    Ilena says:

    these are amazing! I can’t wait to go thrift some ties and try this with my kids! thanks.

  44. 44
    thecraftbegins says:

    OH my god. Amazing!!

  45. 45
    Give LDS Gifts says:

    I just found your blog via your feature at Craft Gossip. You have a great blog here and I LOVE this idea! I have just featured this post on my blog, http://giveLDSgifts.com.

  46. 46
    Kathy - Panini Happy says:

    Wow, that’s like magic! I’ve never heard of this approach before but it looks absolutely incredible. The eggs are just gorgeous.

  47. 47
    Nurse Heidi says:

    That is the COOLEST thing I’ve ever seen for egg dye! I can’t wait to try it! My father in law has a whole closet full of horrid ties that will go nicely (evil laughter…especially because he’s out of town at the moment and won’t even know…)

  48. 48
    gour_mae says:

    I host an egg-decorating party each year for friends and family. An hour after I read this, I was at Goodwill, excitedly scanning tie labels to find the silk one!
    I can’t wait for everyone to try this, thanks so much for the idea!

  49. 49
    Angie says:

    Wow! You guys have really grown!! 58 comments? Whew!! That is awesome and so is your site! I love it! I’ve never seen this done before! Way cute!

  50. 50
    Astrid says:

    Those are the coolest eggs EVER! I’m going to try these…maybe I’ll even try it with blown out eggs (I need to update my Easter tree).

  51. 51
    Deanna says:

    Very clever and such cool eggs. In the past I’ve used various flowers and plants secured to the eggs with a little oil and a stocking, so when I tried it, I slipped the tie covered egg into the toe end of a stocking and tied the top closed. Worked perfectly. And the stocking is easy to use again and again.

    Thanks for a great idea.
    Deanna

  52. 52
    Sara says:

    Deanna- I never thought to use an old stocking before- brilliant!

  53. 53
    Kendra says:

    That is amazing and brilliant! Will have to try it out!

  54. 54
    Jessica says:

    I found you and your great great Silk-Dyed Egg post on Todays Creative Blog…it’s awesome…Thanks!

  55. 55
    henzy says:

    wow that is so cool. did not know you could do that.

  56. 56
    Jill says:

    Oh, wow! This is my fist time dropping by and I will totally be back. These are amazing! I’m gonna be my daughters hero. She will love it.

  57. 57
    writeonandmore says:

    Brilliant! Added to kirtsy

  58. 58
    Roblynn and Rebekah says:

    These are great! We have “Ropa
    Americana” that always has a huge selection of ugly ties, the missionaries have a heyday! I am actually excited about coloring eggs this year, now if we can find white eggs it will be great.

  59. 59
    rockriverstitches says:

    Wow…How cool is this??! Thanks for a great tutorial! On my way to the GW right now to get some ties!

    Tammy

  60. 60
    www.adorn-jewelry.blogspot.com says:

    These are so great! I hate dying easter eggs because it makes such a mess! I want to try this!

  61. 61
    Happy Mom says:

    Can’t wait to try this!!! This is seriously fab!

  62. 62
    JaneB says:

    These are great does any of the dye transfer to the fabric? If so it would be great to use the tie dyed fabric for embroidering and embellishing other east projects.

  63. 63
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Hi Jane,

    You know, I think the dye transfer depends on the fabric (both the tie and the plain fabric) that you use, but generally it doesn’t transfer too much. It’s more of splotchy color, like tie-dye, but not as much of the actual pattern from the silk. That’s just my experience with the fabrics I always use though. Try it and see what ya get!

  64. 64
    Partybluprints.com says:

    This is awesome! I let our readers know with a post today and put two links to your site. I am off to find some ties!

  65. 65
    Condo Blues says:

    This is absoluate genuis! Pretty eggs and a humane way to dispose of ugly ties that could dehunkafy your loved ones.

  66. 66
    Sarah says:

    Does anyone know if you can use a stainless steel pot instead of a glass or enamel pot?

  67. 67
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Sarah-
    A stainless steel pot works just fine. I think the big thing is that you want to avoid aluminum which like, explodes or something when combined with vinegar, lol. But I use a stainless steel pot all the time for these and it works great.

  68. 68
    Midwest girl says:

    Great idea for Easter eggs, I think they’re gorgeous. I ran into the floating blown egg problem when I tried my first test batch today. I placed a metal colander on top to hold them down they turned out great, you’ll just have to blow the water out once they’re cooled and unwrapped. The eggs turned out so nice, I’m really excited to make them with my family this weekend.

  69. 69
    Odile says:

    Thanks to share your tutorial. I am quite happy with my first try.
    Odile
    http://larbracigogne.blogspot.com/

  70. 70
    Pam says:

    I have a question. Is the slow cooling process part of the trick to getting beautiful eggs? I have always taken my hot eggs and run them under cold water. Not only does this speed up the cooling process- it makes the eggs much easier to peel. I just worry that doing this will ruin the effect. Any idea?

  71. 71
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Pam, the cooling makes no difference. But these eggs aren’t for eating, they’re just for looking pretty. If they were for eating I wouldn’t boil them for 20 minutes! You *can* eat them, I have before, but you really don’t know if the silk dye is food safe so you may want to stay away from that. If you do want to peel them, you can totally plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking process, and even cut down the boiling time a few minutes so they aren’t over cooked. Hope that helps!

  72. 72
    Toni M says:

    ok…I am going to try making them tonight with blown eggs. I am starting out with a dozen. I cant wait to see if they turn out. I will email you pictures of what happens.

  73. 73
    le @ thirdontheright says:

    so inspiring – well done le

  74. 74
    Angela says:

    Wow, I’m glad I came over here and read about not eating the eggs. I bought the kit and can’t wait to get started, but I might try the blown eggs instead to avoid any issues with them being eaten.

    Now to look up a refresher on blowing eggs!

    If it works for me, I’ll definitely be checking out the thrift stores for silk ties and scarves!

  75. 75
    bizzymama says:

    Would brown eggs work or must we use white only?

  76. 76
    Kate says:

    Bizzymama–I would use white eggs just because you never know how the colors are going to transfer; some of them are very bright and vibrant and others are more muted, so you might lose some of the details if you used brown eggs.

    Either way, let us see some pics when you’re done! :)

  77. 77
    Ninotchka says:

    Made these today. WOW. I love how they turned out. I have 3 little girls and with each egg we unwrapped there was lots of oooh’ing and aaaah’ing and squeals and yes, even high fives. What a FUN project. My 6-year old put it best: I LOVE the person who thought of this. Me too! You have inspired a new tradition. A million thanks.

    (I came by way of Brenda a.k.a. Secret Agent Josephine)

  78. 78
    Amber says:

    Just in case someone might be making them tomorrow, I used zip ties to tie my silk and fabric on. It helps because you can use your hands and your teeth to get it tight.

  79. 79
    Lawyer Mama says:

    I saw this last year & thought it would be cool to try. I'm currently boiling my first batch! I hope at least one turns out as gorgeous as yours.

    Oh & I bought some 100% silk scarves at the thrift store to use. It gave me less variety, but 1 scarf goes a long way. I ended up using 2 ties and parts of 3 different scarves.

  80. 80
    Retrogirlgypsyarcade Vintage says:

    Ohhh I just did mine with my 11 year old daughter and her friend, They turned out beautiful and even my 18 year old son loved em!
    Can’t wait to do them again next year, I love it!

  81. 81
    SOUP OF THE DAY says:

    VERY cool!

  82. 82
    ChineseKite says:

    I was attracted to this intriguing idea the moment I saw the dyed eggs. So I tried this today. The eggs look awesome! We absolutely love them, even though I used a rather thin scarf, which I even did not find the label on and guessed it is probably made of silk. If interested, you are welcome to take a look at my results at http://chinesekite.blogspot.com/2009/04/dyeing-easter-eggs-2009.html Thanks a million for the great idea!

  83. 83
    Rhonda says:

    As soon as I saw this I knew I had to try it! I posted a photo of our eggs:
    http://www.myhandboundbooks.com

  84. 84
    JaneO says:

    What a great idea – shame I read this too late for this year but I have saved the notes. Much more exciting than drawing with felt tips. Our tradition here is to have an egg-rolling competition after judging the decorated eggs, so no need to worry about not using food dyes (so long as it does not poison the animals who clear up the broken eggs).

  85. 85
    lizriz says:

    Brilliant! Definitely going to try this.

  86. 86
    barbie says:

    I tried these and they worked…sort of…not nearly as nice as sara’s though. Like others, I got the idea to use stocking material to keep the silk in contact with the egg. I got much better results doing that. Also, I found that if the egg is slightly damp the silk will adhere to it better until you get the stocking and pillowcase on to hold it in place. I found too that if you unwrap it too soon, you don’t as good a transfer as you do if you leave the silk and the stocking on till it is dry. Thanks for this great project!

  87. 87
    Sandra Evertson says:

    Brilliant!
    Sandra Evertson

  88. 88
    The Pellegrino Family says:

    Such a great idea! To do the blown out eggs I used wax from a melting candle and sealed the pin holes nad then dyed the eggs. Then when they are all done you can just melt the wax off the little holes and not have to worry about blowing water out of the egg. :)

  89. 89
    Christi says:

    Hmmm…wondering if this would work with ceramic eggs… I got some great plain white ceramic eggs to make "faux" easter eggs with and may just have to try this… If it works will let you know!

  90. 90
    Bethie says:

    Sara, just experimented with three, not so good. One didn't even transfer(pink tie), the other two barely. I wonder what I did wrong? Add the vinegar and boiled for 20 minutes. I will keep trying.

  91. 91
    Abby says:

    Beautiful! I will have to try these this year. I haven't dyed eggs since I was a child :)

  92. 92
    Becky says:

    I'm guessing you wrap uncooked eggs? This is longer than I usually hard boil eggs, so are they still eatable? I do think they are amazing looking and can't wait to try!

  93. 93
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Becky- yes, you're wrapping uncooked eggs. I don't usually eat these ones because I'm not sure of the safety of the dyes so I boil them extra long to get the best color! You can also dye blown eggs if you want to save the insides :)

  94. 94
    Maria says:

    OMGSH,
    I am so EGG-cited to try these tonight when I get home.

    I am amazed!
    They are just beautiful.

    Thanks for sharing this.
    Wonderful!

  95. 95
    Laurie says:

    I am "dying" to make these eggs. I was wondering if the silk needs to be a certain type? Do you have to use silk that is kind of heavy or can you use a thin silk scarf?

    Thanks so much for any info.. Laurie

  96. 96
    Lisa says:

    Anyone tried this with unfinished wooden eggs? Wondering if it would work at all….

  97. 97
    Maria says:

    Ok, on my second try.
    The first two, the didn't cover the entire egg.
    Only covered part of it.
    I had the fabric around the egg tight and let it cook at least 20 -25 minutes.
    Not for sure what I'm doing wrong and yes, it's on the correct side as well.
    Off for try #3

  98. 98
    Maria says:

    Ok, third time was a bit better but still not covering egg completely. The fabric is on tight and tied tightly.
    Does the pot that you cook them in really matter???

  99. 99
    Maria says:

    Amber
    Thanks for the zip tie suggestion.
    I just happen to have some in a tool box that my Ex left for me. LOL!

    And I am also going to try the stocking.
    Wish me luck.
    ON to try #4

  100. 100
    Christi says:

    Ok, my results… Does NOT work with ceramic eggs… just didn't transfer at all. But I did dye 9 eggs using this technique with mixed success. Of course the one egg that came out the best was the one of the 9 that broke while boiling :( But you can see my results on Facebook here: Facebook Eggs
    Thanks so much for the technique!

  101. 101
    Christi says:

    Link didn't work in previous comment so here it is again: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034019&id=1319706240&l=8676100ad6

  102. 102
    julie says:

    These are so cool! I can't wait to try them for my son's preschool party on Wednesday. thanks!

  103. 103
    DOEHLER DAYS says:

    This is amazing!

    I blogged about it so I wouldn't forget about it!

    http://doehlerdays.blogspot.com/2010/03/silk-dyed-eggs-from-ties.html

    Thanks.

  104. 104
    NShep says:

    I have a question…..it says to bring to a boil and leave for 20 minutes. Am I boiling for 20 minutes or bringing to a boil and then simmering for 20? Sorry, I need explicit directions.

  105. 105
    holly says:

    I went to goodwill and bought two 100% silk dresses in the old ladies dept. I've attempted to dye two batches of blown eggs with little success. I'm using a metal colander to keep the eggs submerged. I just noticed the tip to use nylons to keep the silk tightly pressed against the egg, and I believe that might help. However, I do have one question: What is the purpose of the vinegar? I'm using apple cider vinegar. Should I use white vinegar? Does it matter what kind is used?

    I'm going to try one more time in the morning. Any helpful hints would be great, as I'm hoping to use this craft with my scouts this week. We'll then turn around and bless a shut-in or nursing home with the beautiful basket full of eggs! (…hopefully!)

  106. 106
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Nshep- honestly it's not an exact science. Once the water boils, leave them in for 20 minutes. They're probably done after 15 even, I just leave them in a little longer to make sure they're nice and dyed!

    holly- hmm..if you're having problems then maybe try regular vinegar and not apple cider. I don't know what else could be the problem unless the silk dress for some reason doesn't have as much dye in it? It should work just fine though- so try the vinegar and see if that helps!

  107. 107
    kelly says:

    I just tried it with silk SHIRTS (same price as the ties at the thrift shop, and a lot more fabric) and it worked great (see here.) I just wrapped raw eggs and hardboiled them as we usually do but with the 1/4c of vinegar.

    thanks so much for the detailed instructions and the great photos that motivated me to actually try it!

  108. 108
    Gloria says:

    We gave it try yesterday and we were happy with results…
    Check it out.

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/DoilyMania/277911954581?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=157902&id=277911954581

    Thank you for sharing idea . :)

  109. 109
    LaurenE'lena says:

    wow! these are so neat. I will add these to my list of ways to dye eggs tomorrow along with pysanky eggs… now I just have to find some ties since my hubby doesnt wear them.

  110. 110
    Kristina says:

    Thank you so much for all the tips! It was just what I needed to read before I tried this myself, and it went really well!

    (Blogged: http://www.knucklesalad.com/2010/04/happy-easter-give-me-your-tie.html)

  111. 111
    Judy says:

    I bought a very light silk shirt and it didn't dye as vibrant as the ties. I use the rubber bands that are around our daily newspaper. they get it quite tight and then I just snip them off. Didn't realize how popular this was until I went to Goodwill to look for ties and they said they had been snapped up for weeks for this purpose. Will start now for next year.

  112. 112
    Kristina says:

    Wow, Judy, where do you live? It's so interesting that something like this has caught on so big locally!

  113. 113
    Judy says:

    I want to share my photo of my beautiful eggs but am not sure how to do that…any suggestions

  114. 114
    Lizzie says:

    Just a thought…..
    I read an article on onion dyed eggs and you have to use blown eggs. The instructions say to suck some water into the blown eggs to weigh them down so they don't float during the dyeing process. For those of you that would like to try this with blown eggs this might work. Please post your results if you try this!

  115. 115
    Jen :) says:

    These are so cool! I especially like the flowered one. In fact, I liked them so much that I decided to make some yesterday! I think they came out rather well…even though I didn't leave the eggs in the water/vinager long enough. Check them out!

    http://schooldownthelane.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/easter-fun/

  116. 116
    ter@waaoms says:

    I just discovered your blog today. So many cool recipes and ideas. The silk egg idea is really cool. I sure wish I could still celebrate holidays so I could do neat things like this.

  117. 117
    elizawhat.com says:

    And here I thought I was cool, with my wax crayon and my Paas dye!

    I can't wait to try this. I might not even wait until next year. Thanks for sharing this!

  118. 118
    Denise :) says:

    I did these for Easter this year; they were so much fun! I'm sharing a link for photos for mine with you–so you can see how well you leave instructions. LOL!! Great job, and thank you so much for sharing this! :)

    http://daneesey.blogspot.com/2010/04/paisleys-and-stripes-and-flowersoh-my.html

  119. 119
    knittergirl says:

    i followed your directions and did these as a group project with a middle-school special education class right before easter and it was a hit. the kids had so much fun unwrapping the eggs to see how they turned out… it was a noisy crowd, all shouting "WOW", "LOOK AT THIS!" "THIS IS THE BEST ONE!"… i'll be doing this again every year, thanks for the great step by step directions…

  120. 120
    johns says:

    wow amazing!! great color contrast ..these are absolutely beautiful..thank you for the post..
    http://www.ties-necktie.com

  121. 121
    johns says:

    wow amazing!! great color contrast ..thank you for the post..

  122. 122
    Lexy says:

    Can anyone tell me how long these beauties will last. Hard boiled eggs, not blown out. In other words, how much before Easter can I make these gorgous things? Thanks.

  123. 123
    Lex E! says:

    Can you do that on something other then a egg?

  124. 124
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Lexy- I actually don't recommend eating them- so that being said they'll last for quite a while. In general a hard-boiled egg is good for about 4-5 days in the fridge max.

  125. 125
    Sara @ Our Best Bites says:

    Lex E- not sure if it would work on anything else!

  126. 126
    Mama Peck says:

    I've never seen anything like this and can hardly wait to try it! I'm headed to DI tomorrow. Thanks for the great tutorial.

  127. 127
    Karan says:

    Oh how pretty. And I have a huge box of ties I have been collecting to do a tree skirt out of. I just may have to sneak a few out and amaze my family at my talent.

  128. 128
    Michele says:

    If you covered them in polyurethane it would make them really glossy you could keep them indefinitely, at least if they’re blown out (In theory you’re supposed to be able to cover unblown eggs and they’re supposed to be fine, but my niece who is an avid pysanky doer had one explode once, and it was evidently a traumatic experience for the whole family).

  129. 129
    helenwilla says:

    I LOVE this!!

  130. 130

    I made these for the first time the other day and was in aw of how well they turned out! Like magic! LOL! What a fun activity! Thanks for the inspiration.

  131. 131
    charity says:

    This is awesome! I am going to try these this week.

  132. 132
    Denna says:

    this blog is so amazing and you ladies are so very talented! I look forward to trying this someday.

  133. 133

    [...] Love this travel kit idea from Rhythm of the Home. * These eggs are amazing as are these and these. * I love the idea of making Cami a sundress from one of [...]

  134. 134
    Theresa Hicks Jackson says:

    Does this work with other natural fibers too?
    I am in awe, so pretty

  135. 135
    Katia says:

    tried these out last night and they turned out AMAZING! blew the eggs out first so that we could just save the shells and the eggs wouldn’t spoil. only problem was, the eggs floated and we had to weigh them down in the pot by putting a plate over the top.

    the paisley and polka dot ties that we found were the favorites, as well as a deep blue tie that transferred pretty well. we are thinking of tying them up with ribbon to display them, or one of the girls also mentioned that it is a tradition to fill them with glitter and crack them over people’s heads!

  136. 136
    Robyn Kelley says:

    This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! The eggs are beautiful!! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!

  137. 137
    Lee Doyle Harrington says:

    The thrift store had some great ties…Eventhough I pulled a couple out for my husband I still felt a little bad about ripping up great ties. They turned out really nice. I forgot the vinegar but then added it at the end and let them sit in the water for awhile. They turned out! I did have some streaking but still nice…and very different.

  138. 138
    Billie Jean says:

    Would this work with a silk scarf as well, or just ties??? Have those handy but not the tie.

  139. 139
    Lana says:

    I love this idea but was sad to realize they aren’t edible. So my question is have you ever tried this with the wooden eggs from craft stores? Is there any way they would hold the color? How about styrafoam eggs? Those would probably be too pourous, right? I’d love to try these if I could figure out a way to make them reusable and durable.

  140. 140
    Elle Fagan says:

    One of my fancy eggs got to the White House in 2007 – they have the famous egg roll outdoors but many do not know there is a delicate display of one from each State INDOORS at the White House or the Visitors Center. I thought I knew ALLL the neat things to do with an egg…but this is a nice idea. Will try it. My lovely daughter has a broken engagement..we could use his ties. :-D

  141. 141
    Drew says:

    I thought this was brilliant! I used some of my great-grandpas old “banker” ties and tried it. I didnt get the result that you did but I only tested 3 eggs and I think I had bad ties…they came out as a pale design, but I am definitely going to try this again, with some different ties!

  142. 142
    Amanda Scott says:

    I just made these with my sisters today. I think we have a new family tradition! Thanks so much!

  143. 143
    angela says:

    those are so beautiful, what a terrific way to do easter eggs. Thank you for sharing them.

  144. 144

    [...] Spent the weekend in Phoenix with the grandkids.  My daughter had to work Saturday (she’s a nurse, which entails some weekends and holidays), so she assigned me to do the tie-dyed eggs with the kids.  And I do mean TIE-dyed, as with old ties.  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/04/silk-dyed-eggs-aka-tie-dyed/  [...]

  145. 145
    crystal says:

    WOW! AMAZING. I am trying this right now!

  146. 146

    Wow!! Amazing eggs!! Loved learning the secret on how to dye these so I wanted to thank you for sharing. Easter is now over but I can’t wait to try the technique next year and looking on the plusside of things, I will have a whole year to collect silk ties!!
    Greetings from Sweden

  147. 147
    Shari says:

    I’ve never heard of this technique. Thanks so much! I can hardly wait to get to the thrift store to look for ties.

  148. 148
    redraven says:

    O MY CUPCAKES!!! These are to dye for, lol.

  149. 149

    [...] packets of Red Dye #9. (For an even prettier variation, you can also make Herb-Stencilled Eggs)7. Silk Dyed Easter EggsAll you need to make these beautiful patterned eggs is a non-reactive metal pot, an old white [...]

  150. 150

    [...] packets of Red Dye #9. (For an even prettier variation, you can also make Herb-Stencilled Eggs) 7. Silk Dyed Easter Eggs All you need to make these beautiful patterned eggs is a non-reactive metal pot, an old white [...]

  151. 151
    Erin says:

    love these, so addictive XD started out only going to make 5 ended up with a dozen *blush*

  152. 152
    Ma says:

    Really cool! Who would have thought of this? Amazing, can’t wait to try it.

  153. 153
    Margot says:

    Now I regret that my husband does not wear the ties… Very pretty and a great idea!

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