The most beautiful Easter eggs ever!

Silk dyed Easter eggs

Last year I stumbled on this incredible way to dye Easter eggs and it blows away the ol' PAAS box version. It's not for the faint of heart. It takes a while and at least one trip to Goodwill or raiding your dad's closet for old ties but so worth it. Old scarves, boxers, ties, anything 100% silk will work and the brighter and darker the silk, the better the eggs turn out.

Step 1. Gather (buy, steal...) silk ties, scarves, boxers, etc... you'll need to unravel the seams and spread out the silk.

Step 2. Cut the silk into squares and wrap them INSIDE OUT around the eggs as tight as you can without crushing them. Secure with a twistie or kitchen twine.

Step 3. Cut 100% white cotton (sheet, pillow case, cheese cloth) into squares and wrap each egg again and secure tightly.

Step 4. Gently place eggs in one layer standing up in a pot, cover with water plus a 1/2 inch, add 1/4 cup white vinegar. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Step 5. Take eggs out gently and set on paper towels to cool.

Step 6. The Unveil! Unwrap the eggs and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub with vegetable oil to make them shiny and the colors come alive.

The Easter Bunny would be proud! :) I know we were!

Comments

[Sam]

WOW! good job.

[Lil]

Oh wow, that's a really cool trick. Hmmm where can I steal some silk tie...

[Megan]

Fabulous! to make them last longer- do you think you could drain the egg and then put them through the treatment?

[laura @ cucina testa rossa]

* thanks sam!
* lil, any 2nd hand stores near you?
* megan, we talked about it but thought that they'd probably be too fragile. worth a try though :)

[Jacoba]

Exquisite - I passed this on to my daughter in Germany - it's right up her street.

[Jonell Galloway]

These photos are exquisite!

[Lisa Boisvert]

these look gorgeous, I posted a link to you on my blog. I'm going to try them.

[Orlando Divorce Attorney]

lovely eggs

[Ellen]

Do you need to blow the eggs before you do this? They look amazing thanks for sharing.

[Jennipher]

This is fabulous! Thanks so much!

[Jared Ullrich]

I lived in Poland for a couple years and they have beautifully decorated eggs. Yours remind me of those Polish eggs. (This is a great compliment!)

[Loulou]

Amazing! What a fantastic idea!

[Kevin]

Way too cool and great fun re-use for old ties!
Any even better to read a new post!by you!

[laura @ cucina testa rossa]

*thanks so much everyone! so glad y'all enjoyed them. i hope you have a chance to make them, if not this year, than maybe next. if you get started now you willhave a lot of time to collect old ties and scarves.
*ellen, we didn't as we thought the eggs might be too fragile but worth trying so you don't have to throw them out.
*and thanks kevin! :)

[orlando-bankruptcy]

So nice design, i like the texture on eggs

[Lisa Boisvert Mackenzie]

Laura here is a photo. These are not oiled. Maybe I'll oil them and try a new photo! We didn't let them cool completely. I wonder if the patterns would be more clear if we had?

http://celebratetherhythmoflife.blogspot.com/2010/03/beautiful-easter-eggs.html

[Jenny]

Amazing technique!

Thanks for the share, I'm going to do that next easter =)

[party buses in Los Angeles]

Great printing on eggs

[craigslist search]

I agree ! this is most beautiful easter eggs

[Cheap Handbags]

Wow! I have never see so many beautiful easter eggs!

[gowns]

Wow, How beautiful these eggs are. I am going to start rummage sale hunting now. I don't think I have ever seen a simpler way to acheive a better effect. Great job and thanks.

[Craigslist Search]

Not exactly the time for easter eggs, but this is absolutely fabulous! Thanks so much!

[Kabbalah]

Wow! Very nice to look at. What a fashionable silk it is. I liked it very much.

[Craigslist]

I lived in Poland for a couple years and they have beautifully decorated eggs. Yours remind me of those Polish eggs. (This is a great compliment!)

[Andrea]

After cooking for so long are they edible still?

[laura - cucina testa rossa]

andrea, they are not edible as the ink from the silk can be poisonous. sorry!

[Katie]

A reader led me to your egg-dyeing, and your pattern transferrals are so crisp and bright! Hmm I think the vinegar helps set the dye...i'll have to try that next time. This project is so fun. I never get tired of seeing everyone's eggs :) http://foxflat.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/silk-dyed-eggs/

[laura @ cucina testa rossa]

andrea, unfortunately they aren't as the dye from the silk can be poisonous. but then again these are truly "too pretty to eat" :)

[aj hkd]

that is an awsome idea i will do this with my aunt
signed a reader who loves idea

[Wendi]

Do you boil them before you wrap them?

[Kim]

Can u use this technique on other surfaces?