String Easter Eggs

Intro: String Easter Eggs

I made some string (yarn) eggs for Easter but they are a little different, they have little treats inside.  I made several with small chocolate eggs in them.  You can also place little toys or notes in as well, perfect for giving as gifts for Easter.

I also made a real looking egg with yolk using the same technique.

STEP 1: What You Will Need:

Material:

• Small water balloons (I was lucky to find balloons that were roughly the same size and shape as real eggs)
• Crochet thread/ embroidery thread/ yarn/string etc.
• Chocolate, small toys or trinkets to place inside eggs                                                                      
• Equal parts granulated sugar and water

Tools:

• Pin, fine scissors and tweezers
• Measuring cup, cooking pot, and spoon for stirring
• Optional: pump for blowing up balloons

STEP 2: Making the Sugar Mixture

The thread in this instructable is stiffened with sugar.  This may not work for everyone.  If you live in a humid climate or if you have little critters around (ants) this may not be for you.  Another option would be liquid fabric starch (used here), or glue and water (used here).

To make the sugar mixture:

• Measure equal parts granulated sugar and water and place in a cooking pot on the stove. I used a quarter cup of each which was more than enough. Best to use refined sugar, I only had organic sugar at home which wasn't a pure white which may have coloured the yarn a bit darker.
• Bring to a boil stirring constantly.
• When sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Pour into a shallow container.

I was able to use this mixture over several days, just cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature.

STEP 3: Egg With Yolk: the Yolk

I thought it would be neat to make a white egg with yellow yolk inside.  The yolk is also made from stiffened string I will show you how to make that first.

• Partially inflate a balloon so that it is a quarter (or smaller) of the size of the fully inflated balloon, knot tightly.
• Gather some yellow thread, they can be different shades.
• Cover your work surface with newspaper as this can get quite messy
• Dredge the threads through the sugar mixture and place onto the balloon.
• Cover the entire balloon with the thread, criss-crossing the surface well.
• Hang from a string (or rig up some other device) and place in a warm dry spot to dry.
• Place newspaper underneath to catch any drippings also you may need to dab the bottom of the balloon as it dries.

STEP 4: Egg With Yolk: the Yolk Continued

• It should take roughly 24hr to dry.  Make sure it is completely dry before you continue, the thread should be rigid.
• Hold onto the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.
• Gently extract the balloon, use small tweezers if necessary.

STEP 5: Egg With Yolk: Egg White

Getting the yolk inside the balloon can be a bit tricky and it is important that the yolk is completely dry and the thread is rigid, I was a bit impatient with mine and the yolk was squished a little when it was put inside the balloon.

• Stretch the opening of the balloon so that it is wide enough to accommodate the yolk and gently stuff it in, I was using cheap dollar store balloon so I went through a few before I finally got the yolk in.
• Inflate the balloon.
• Proceed to wrap the balloon with white thread as you did in step 3.
• Hang to dry with newspaper underneath.

STEP 6: Egg With Yolk: Egg White Continued

• Once the egg has dried, approximately 24hrs later.  Grab on to the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.
• First you will need to extract the yolk from the balloon, tweezers and small scissors are helpful here.  Be careful not to damage the yolk.
• Once the yolk is out, proceed to remove the balloon from the egg.

STEP 7: Chocolate Egg

I made some eggs with chocolate inside you can also place small toys in as well, these would be great as gifts.  Of course your probably thinking to get them out you need to destroy the egg, true.  If you don't want to do that you can place small decorative items or trinkets and leave them in permanently.  You can also write little messages or names on craft foam and place inside the balloon.

To make these, the directions are essentially the same as the egg with yolk:

• Stretch the opening of the balloon and stuff you chocolate or item inside, I was able to fit two small chocolate eggs.  It is best to use solid chocolate (the hollow ones may get crushed) and don't use pointy toys or they will tear the balloon.
• Inflate the balloon and tie the end tightly.
• Proceed to wrap the balloon with sugared thread as in step 3.  I choose thread to complement the colour of the chocolate wrappers.
• Hang from a string  and place in a warm (not too warm or you'll melt your chocolate) dry spot to dry.
• Place newspaper underneath to catch any drippings also you may need to dab the bottom of the balloon as it dries.

STEP 8: Chocolate Egg: When Dry

• Once the egg has dried, approximately 24hrs later.  Grab on to the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.
• First you will need to extract the chocolate or other item from the balloon, tweezers and small scissors are helpful here. 
• Once the chocolate or other item is out, proceed to remove the balloon from the egg.

Comments

[hamgarn]

I wonder - do you think it would be possible to wrap the string around the balloon before dipping it in the sugar solution (less messy), and THEN dip it into or brush it with the sugar solution?

[JenniferF208]

I have seen people "paint" the balloon with the solution then wrap string around it (undipped string) then sponge another layer of solution over the string...it worked. Have not tried it myself.

[kangel1]

You need to saturate the string with the solution. If you wrap it in the string before saturating it, you will wind up with a sugar shell between the strings, and need a lot more sugar solution to cover the entire object.

[ChrysN]

You can try it that way, it may be easier, let me know how it works out.

[taddd101]

I can't find water balloons. Would standard birthday balloons work?

[JenniferF208]

Make a larger basket with regular balloons and you can cut out a circle to set things inside if you'd like.

[ChrysN]

Sure, that would work!

[joslinks]

what did you place these on to harden? I want to make them but Don't know where to put them

[JenniferF208]

If you have clothes pins, clip the knot end of the balloon to something so it can hang to dry or sit them on top of a cup or jar. You will need to rotate it if sitting on something to make sure it dries all the way around.

[ChrysN]

I found the best way is to tie string around the knotted end of the balloon and hang it from something (in a warm dry place) with newspaper or paper towels underneath to catch drips.

[Caz.Jenkins]

how do you get the sweeties out without destroying the egg please?

[JenniferF208]

You can always leave a little bigger gap between strings in one area when wrapping and push the candies through once its dry.

[EllenN2]

We tried sugar/water, glue/water, cornstarch/glue/water, and then just liquid starch but they aren't hardening up, they are collapsing, what are we doing wrong?

[kaitlin.lishman]

i dont have any thread, what other materials could you use instead?

[ChrysN]

You could try finely cut strips of paper or fabric.

[ChrysN]

About 1/4 cup corn starch to 1 cup water.

[kangel1]

Won't work with the string yolk, but you can use water instead of air and freeze the balloon to have a firmer work surface, so you could make designs with the string. And you can freeze chocolate, so you could still put candy treats in the center for Easter.

[heather.uphamwood]

will the glue harden as the ice melts in the balloon? Sounds like a good idea, I can't seem to wrap my string tight enough with an air balloon, not to mention I have always hated handling balloons ever since I was a child. Just curious if the glue or sugar water mixture will harden

[connie.peach]

if a person was to use the liquid starch, what is the ratio of starch to water?

[rebekah.smith.94043]

I want to make one soo bad but I don't have all of the stuff I need to make it.