20-Something Domestic Goddess...in Training: Tye-Dyed Easter Eggs

Ok, so as all of you have probably guessed, I'm in my 20's (or maybe some of you thought I was really a 40 year old poser??? Well I'm not, I'm 22 but 40 is still awesome anyway!). Now, being 22 is pretty awesome but there are some things that come along with "growing up" that really just suck. Yes, I can imagine a few things you're thinking of ( flashback to the teenage years) but I was referring to things like being too big to safely jump on a trampoline with another person or not being exempt from pitching in a few hours driving on family trips from Maryland to Florida. Then of course, there is that pesky issue of being "too old" to dye Easter eggs.

Well my friends, what if I told you you could dye your Easter eggs and look grown-up too? Yup, there's a way AND you might get something that looks a little better than that last egg you dyed brown by dipping into too many colors :-)

So....what is this crazy idea of mine? It's called Tie-Dying Easter Eggs and it's all the rave this year because you get cool things like this:

Pretty cool, huh? I think so, and the best part is it's pretty darn easy to do!

So you'll need:

Assorted 100% SILK ties (you can easily grab these from Goodwill, I got mine for $2 each, just make sure the tag says 100% silk or it won't work. You can re-use the ties (or silk blouses/boxers) and each tie makes a few swatches of fabric to cover the eggs so a little money goes a long way! For variety I bought 6 different ties...yeah I know I only used 5 but that's a whole other story...)
An old sheet or pillowcase
Twist-ties or string, just something to tie the fabric ends around the eggs
However many eggs you want to dye
1/4 cup white vingegar
1 non-aluminum pot
water

Alright, so you start out by cutting the back lining and padding from the ties (or whatever silk fabric you're using) so that you're just left with the silk fabric. I tried to get ties of assorted colors but pickings were slim...the dark ones seemed to work best this time though so I may stick with darker ties next time :-)

Alright, so after you've separated the backing from the silk you've got a choice, you can either blow the yolks out of the eggs so you have hollow eggs or you can choose not to so that in the end you'll have hard-boiled eggs. Now, one thing to consider is that I don't know how safe it is to eat egg that has silk dye on it...so unless you do know...I'd choose wisely :-)

I chose to blow out my Easter eggs so that we could use them next year for decoration as well. To blow out an egg you carefully poke a pin-hole into the top and bottom of an egg, swirl the pin around in the egg to loosen up the yolk and then embark on blowing your brains out trying to get the yolk to come out of a pin-hole. If you want to be on America's Funniest Home Videos...you may want to grab a camera also. Blowing the egg yolk out IS difficult but do-able, if you know a Band-kid (preferably wind or brass) I recommend making friends with them.

After several minutes...the yolk finally started to come out.

This face is for those of you who thinks this is easy (in your defense I could only find an Orchestra-kid)

So if you chose to blow you're eggs out make sure to blow water in them to rinse them out and then make sure they're dry inside.

Ok, so now everyone is ready (egg-blowers and non-egg blowers). You're going to cut silk in swatches big enough to cover your dry unboiled eggs. Make sure the outside of the tie (not the back that had the lining) is facing the eggshell and wrap your egg. Then tie the ends of the fabric with twist-ties to keep the fabric around the egg. Then cut a swatch of old cloth (pillowcase or sheet works great) and repeat that step over the silk fabric. This is so the colors won't run in the pot :-) Do that for all your eggs.

Fill a pot with water and add the vinegar. Add the wrapped eggs, turn on med-high heat til it boils and then let simmer for 25-30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, let your eggs cool so you don't hurt yourself (it's hard to wait but I'm sure it's a longer wait at the ER...just sayin')

Once you have waiting juuuuuust long enough you can stand to touch the fabric (because I know that's how long most of you are willing to wait....I don't blame you....I'm the same way), you can unwrap your Tie Dyed Easter eggs. Hopefully you got some pretty awesome designs that you can brag about to the neighbors...or whoever you want to show them to :-) Here are the final eggs from my first stab at Tie Dying Easter Eggs: