Move Over Martha!

I recently read about a "new" way to dye Easter eggs using old silk ties. I am normally not the crafty type, but this sounded interesting so I thought we'd give it a shot.

First, we found a few of Kevin's old silk ties. They have to be 100% silk. I think at least one of them was a tie that Papa Charlie had given to Kevin.

Then we took the ties apart. That white stuff is the interfacing, I think. We wrapped the silk around raw (not boiled) eggs with the printed side (the good side) touching the egg and secured the top with a twist tie.**

Next I cut up an old pillowcase into squares and wrapped those around the silk-wrapped egg and secured those.

Finally, we put the eggs in an enamel coated or glass pot (apparently metal pots won't work), filled with water until eggs are just covered, added 3 tablespoons of vinegar, brought it to a boil then simmered for 20 minutes. We took them out, allowed them to cool then unwrapped them.

Voila! or as Luke likes to say Ta Da!

These are the eggs matched up with the tie. I was able to get two eggs from each tie with some fabric left over.

**We later found this was the tricky/crucial part because if the fabric isn't touching the egg, then the ink doesn't transfer. But if you twist too tightly the egg can break since it isn't boiled yet. We also learned that ties with dark colors and small patterns work best. Bigger patterns don't seem to cover the egg. My favorite was the dark blue tie with the tiny red paisleys. If you want more specific instructions or better tips, you can google "silk ties and Easter eggs" and find plenty of info. Fletcher thought it was cool. Luke was glad it was over. I'm not sure if we will do it again because mommy did most of the work. But if I'm ever at Goodwill, I might check out their tie selection to see if I can find some cool silk ones for next year.

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two - our tie dyed cupcakes!