Silk Dyed Eggs, "Tie-Dyed"

by peace, love, art

11K4012

Intro: Silk Dyed Eggs, "Tie-Dyed"

Not only are these eggs beautiful for Easter, but they would look great as a centerpiece to a batch of deviled eggs or egg salad sandwiches at any gathering. Please vote for me  in the Egg-bot Challenge!

What you will need:
Eggs
Several 100% silk ties
White cotton t-shirt
String
Enamel pot
Vegetable oil (optional)

I tried this project with white eggs, however brown eggs may work as well but would give a different color effect. I purchased the silk ties at Goodwill for a dollar each. Any silk would work, like a scarf or sections of a shirt.

(Disclaimer - this is not my original idea, just an original Instructable)

STEP 1: Deconstruct


Deconstruct a silk tie by removing the stitching and interfacing. Cut a section of silk large enough to completely wrap around the egg (leave some excess for room to tie the end together).

STEP 2: Silk Wrap

With the 'good' side of the tie on contact with the egg, tie the egg up in the silk. You can tie the egg in the method shown in the picture for a more abstract look (the crinkles in the fabric cause distortions in the dyeing process.) For a cleaner, crisper dye job, carefully wrap the egg with as few wrinkles as possible and tie on each end, like a Tootsie Roll.

STEP 3: Cotton Wrap

Cut the cotton t-shirt into sections large enough to individually wrap the eggs. (Any cotton will work, such as an old pillow case, however, I'd like to find out if socks would work. I'm not sure if they are a tight enough weave.) Tie each egg in cotton.

STEP 4: Boil

Put the eggs in an enamel pot with enough water to cover them. Add three tablespoons of white vinegar. Bring the eggs to a boil, then turn down the heat and let them simmer thirty minutes.

STEP 5: Unwrap!

Carefully remove the eggs from the pot with tongs. They will be very hot so allow them to cool for a while. Cut the strings off the cotton and silk, careful not to crack the eggs. Unwrap the gorgeously patterned eggs. For shiny eggs, rub on some vegetable oil.

STEP 6: Admire!

Share your eggs with your friends and family. For an Easter gift, place a few eggs in a basket or box with a card, include a piece of silk to show them how you made the eggs. People will surely love your artistry!

13 Comments

thepoisonivy 7 years ago

I love this. If you one is concerned about the edibility factor you can easily translate this 'ible to a silk (or other fabric) transfer dyeing project. I use a microwave or a steamer set up similar to this one (http://www.dharmatrading.com/techniques/building-your-own-stovetop-silk-steamer.html) with old silk ties to "dye" silk scarves. FYI... If you drink Koolaid, you are getting more acid dyes in your system than you would with a "tie" dyed egg. Anybody who smells something off when steaming/simmering a silk tie is probably smelling dry cleaning agents used on the tie - that might be something to avoid.

cogni 13 years ago

Very nice!
I wonder, do the dyes in the silk affect the egg's edibility? In other words, is there anything toxic in the color dyes that would seep through the shell and affect the egg if you wanted to eat the hard-boiled egg for breakfast or make it into egg salad? I'd hate to throw out those eggs (in my culture, you go to German Hell if you waste food); but I don't want toxic chemicals leaching into my egg salad. I know little about the industrial process of silk-dying.

peace, love, art 13 years ago

I'm not entirely certain to be honest. Martha Stewart says they are edible, however other crafting resources say they are not. I read one account where the dyeing process left a terrible odor in the air causing the crafters to worry about chemicals. I didnt experience however. Sorry, I'm unable to give a conclusive answer.

copilarim 13 years ago

I prefer natural dye (such as onion leaves) but the result of your work it's wonderfull:)! Great job!

peace, love, art 12 years ago

Thank you so much. I just recently learned about using onions, I'll have to experiment with that in the future!

NaturalCrafter 13 years ago

This is really a great thing I would love to share with hand crafters. You got my vote.

peace, love, art 13 years ago

Thank you! If you ever try it out, post some pictures!

ChrysN 13 years ago

Wow, that is really cool!

scoochmaroo 13 years ago

I had no idea you could do this! Very clever.

peace, love, art 13 years ago

Thank you very much! I just learned about this process as well, I'd never heard of it before either! It was so exciting to test out.