WIP - Easter Egg Silk Dyeing Tutorial

The Little and I decided to try our luck at dyeing Easter Eggs using silk ties.

You'll need:
100% silk (ties, shirts, boxers)
A tightly woven white pillow case, old sheet, t-shirt, etc.
White vinegar
Twist ties or string
White, uncooked eggs
A non reactive pot.

We found our silk at the Thrift store for pennies on the dollar. Your fabric must be 100% silk. We found the uglier the tie, the better.

Deconstruct your silk ties, shirts etc. into squares large enough to fit around your eggs. Here is a sampling of some of the fabrics we used:


Similarly, take your tightly woven white fabric and cut it into squares large enough to fit around your egg. Smaller eggs work better than the extra large eggs, and you can get more use out of your silk scraps with smaller eggs.

Wrap your eggs first in the silk, right side touching the egg. The right side is the printed side of the silk, or the side you would show the public. Make sure to wrap your egg as tightly as you can - you really want that silk touching the egg.

Next wrap your white fabric around the silk covered egg. Carefully use a string or twisty tie to close the fabric shut. We used jute because that was what we had on hand. Do yourself a favor and find the twisty ties.


Once you have all your eggs tied up in the silk, place them in a non reactive pot and cover them with water. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer the eggs for at least 20 minutes. We've found through many, many dozens of eggs, that 35-40 minutes allows for better transfer (brighter and bolder) of your colors.



Remove the eggs from the water and allow them to cool. Save your silk scraps and white fabric. They can be used again! The silk won't transfer as boldly - but part of the fun is seeing what transpires with each dye batch.

Once your eggs are cool enough to handle, unwrap them and see what colors and designs have transferred onto your eggs. You never know for sure until you unwrap. That's part of the fun!







This project is fun for adults and children alike. My son LOVED helping me wrap the eggs and then finding out what sort of colors our eggs were once they were unwrapped. Have fun!

Yours in surprises,

Simple Mama