I posted this tutorial a few years ago and it has become somewhat of a tradition to bring it back every year! One of our family Easter traditions is dying eggs with pieces of silk. I saw a cute 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.
Supplies Needed
This is just a preview of supplies and method, keep scrolling for full printable instructions.
- Eggs – These eggs are purely decorative, as you’re using clothing to dye them and will be boiling them for a long time. I have not tried using decorative egg options so I don’t know how those would work out. I just use regular raw, white eggs! See this Blown Egg Ornaments post for details on using blown eggs that you can bring out year after year.
- Silk ties – 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 usually pretty cheap (that Christian Dior tie pictured below was 50 cents). 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, or whatever. So if you’re rummaging through a thrift store, check out some other areas as well.
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.
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. - Light colored fabric and twine/twist ties- You’ll need these to help tie the silk in place and prevent dye from spreading from egg to egg. Any light colored, thin fabric will work, like an old tea towel or pillowcase. If you’re already picking up ties from the thrift store, look around for something that will work here!
- Vinegar – Adding vinegar to the boiling water will help set the dye on the egg shell.
How to Make Silk Dyed Eggs
- First you’ll want to deconstruct your ties. Snip the seams and remove the lining so you’re just left with the still.
- Next 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!)
- After the eggs are wrapped in silk, you’re going to wrap them again with a light colored light weight piece of fabric. An old pillowcase, sheet, or thin dish cloth is perfect.
- Put all those little guys in a pot and cover them with water. Add 1/4 cup 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.
Storing and Other Tips
- I don’t recommend eating these eggs. However, they should be stored in the fridge if not actively out as a decoration for something.
- If you want to give your eggs a little shine, just rub a small amount of vegetable oil onto them when they’re finished.
- You’ll notice I tied the eggs in the above photo with the tie on the top of the long side of the egg. If you do this, the opposite end of the egg will have the best pattern. If you are going to be sitting the eggs upright in an egg cup, this is the best way to wrap them.
- However, if you want the best part of the design on the wide side of the egg, you’ll want to wrap them horizontally, like this:
Final Products
My favorite part is unwrapping the eggs to see how they turned out!
Frequently Asked Questions
These eggs are boiled for a long time and you’re using unknown fabric dyes from the silk to color them, so I don’t recommend eating these.
Yes! Click here for a tutorial on how to blow out eggs, and also turn them into hanging ornaments. Instructions on how to do silk-dyed eggs with blown out eggs are found in that post.
Honestly, I did not know there was such a thing until everyone left comments asking about it on this post! Readers who have tried this have reported it does not work very well with wooden eggs.
I think it does help keep the colors in there next to the egg and therefore make them more vibrant, but if you want to try skipping that step- chances are it will still work just fine.
Nope! Anything that’s 100% silk. A tie, a scarf, a blouse, etc.
You can, but the colors will fade a little more each time.
Silk Dyed Easter Eggs
Ingredients
- raw white eggs
- 100% silk fabric from ties, blouses, etc.
- twine or twist ties to secure fabric around eggs
- thin, light colored fabric
- ¼ cup vinegar
- water
Instructions
- Cut pieces of 100% silk large enough to cover an egg. Wrap as smoothy and tightly around egg as possible, with right side of fabric facing in, and secure with a twist-tie or piece of string. Repeat process, but wrap with a plain piece of lightweight fabric, like an old white pillowcase or sheet.
- Place eggs in a large stock pot and cover with water at least 2 inches above eggs. Add ¼ cup white vinegar. Bring pan to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes and then use a pair of tongs to remove eggs and lay them (still wrapped) on layers of paper towels or an old dish towel.
- Let cool to room temperature and then remove the fabric wrappings. Store in the fridge until ready to display. If desired, rub with a small amount of vegetable oil for shine.
Notes
- These eggs are boiled for a long time in unknown fabric dyes. I do not recommend trying to eat them.
- See this Blown Egg Ornament post for info on using blow out eggs you can bring out year after year.
- The best pattern and color transfer will be opposite of wherever you tied your egg. If you intend to display upright, tie at the opposite long end of the egg. If you intend to lay them in a bowl or nest, tie the egg on the opposite side you want displayed.
Questions & Reviews
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!
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.
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.
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)
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! 🙂
Would brown eggs work or must we use white only?
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!
so inspiring – well done le
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.
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!