With St. Patrick’s Day behind us, my thoughts have shifted to Easter.  One of the many traditions of my family is to decorate eggs.  Over the years, we have tried many different techniques…the marble effect, drawing on the eggs with Sharpie markers, painting with acrylic paints, applying stickers, and of course the store bought dye kits.  I’m always looking for unique craft ideas, so I knew I had to try this idea that I saw on the Rachael Ray Show a few weeks ago.

Tie Dyeing Eggs

You actually use TIES (the necktie variety) for this craft!  So I raided my husband’s closet for any old ties he no longer wanted…and when I still needed more, I headed to one of the local thrift stores to purchase some.  Just be sure the ties are 100% silk.

                        

I simply cut off the top part of the tie, and then unfolded the lower portion of the tie.  You may need to snip a few seams in order to do this.  Cut the fabric into a square.

You will also need a white 100% cotton square.

I wrapped an uncooked egg inside the tie fabric.  Make sure the pattern side of the fabric is against the egg.  Then wrap the cotton fabric over the tie fabric.  Secure it with a rubber band.

      

Then I placed the egg in a pot of cold water.  Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the water.  Bring it to a boil and cover for 20 minutes.

               

I let the eggs cool, and then I snipped the rubber band to reveal the dyeing.

I was just amazed!

The pattern of each tie left a design on the egg.  I did discover that darker colored ties worked better.  The pale yellow and pink ties did not show up as well.

Such an easy way to decorate eggs…no messy dyes or paints.  How exciting it is to see how the ties transform each egg!