How To: Decorate Easter Eggs with Silk Ties!

If you are my friend (and why wouldn’t you be my friend??), then you know I LOVE StumbleUpon.  I learn the coolest stuff and find some of the most amazing websites just clicking that little button in my toolbar.  Sometime over the past year I stumbled upon a tutorial for decorating Easter Eggs using silk ties.

I thought, “wow…that’s cool!”

Then I wondered, “how come I never come up with creative stuff like that?”

Then I bookmarked it so I could come back to the site at Easter time.

And I did.

It’s actually kinda funny, I am seeing lots of people sharing websites that offer up the same silk tie tutorial.  So it appears to have become quite the trendy thing to do.  And because I only associate myself with other trendy folks, I’ll show you how I did it so you can do it, too.  Did that make sense?

click to enlarge and see my fabulous details

Gather up all your supplies.  I had 10 silk ties that I purchased from my local Goodwill.  I paid just under two bucks per tie.  I really think I could have gotten them cheaper if I had checked my local no-name thrift store or if I had raided my husbands closet.  I’ll try to gather ties during the year now that I know how cool they can be!

Supplies:

• SILK ties (must be silk)
• scissors
• cotton cloth.  T-shirt, pillow case or in my case, an old baby burp blanket
• twine, twist ties or rubber bands (I think the rubber bands were super easy to use)
• eggs
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Using my scissors, I cut the seams and pulled out any tags and backing from inside the tie.  I wanted only the silk fabric.

Then layer your silk (you only need enough to cover the egg) along with a piece of cotton over your egg.  The outside/face of the tie MUST be against the shell of the egg, with the cotton over it all.  Secure with rubber bands.

I thought I read somewhere that you could only get about 1 egg from 1 tie.  But this is not true.  I could have easily gotten two eggs per tie.  I had a lot of silk left over and that was disappointing.  I may have to buy some more eggs to color tomorrow.

Put all of your eggs in a pot (I read not to use aluminum…so I used my ceramic coated cast iron dutch oven.  it was the only non-aluminum pot I own).  Cover with water and then add 1/4 cup white vinegar.  Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from water with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on paper towels to dry.

Once cool to the touch, unwrap!

I had picked up one U.G.L.Y. tie that was branded WWF (World Wildlife Fund?).  It had an ocean theme with dolphins and whales.  Well Bob tried to get the silk to go around the egg neatly and I’ll be darned if it didn’t leave a VERY cool image of the whale!  I was super impressed for this ugly tie to make such a pretty egg.

Ta-Da! (click if you are dying to see them bigger!)

I have to say, the ugliest tie made the prettiest eggs.  And one tie that was awful pretty, didn’t transfer much color at all.  So you just never know.  You find any silk tie (or boxer shorts, or 80′s silk shirts that no man should be wearing now days) and try it.  You never know what you’re gonna get.