Okay, so this isn't sugar. But can you be more sugar related than
EASTER ???
These are THE COOLESTEaster Eggs I've ever Seen!
I Probably won't be making any
because of the constraints of time
Easter is only 2 days away!
But hey I just Had to mention them. Oh and probably the people that made them:
http://www.ourbestbites.com/
And Looking at these gets my wheels turning...
If this works on eggs, could it possibly work on GUMPASTE..?
Hmmmmm...
Check it out and let me know what you think...
tHis BloWs mY mInD!
Silk-Dyed Eggs.
Here's the quick run-down:
You need 100% silk for this to work. Make sure to check the labels to make sure you're not buying polyester, which can look similar. I grab old ties at the thrift store where they're all under a buck. And remember: when it comes to ties, you may not want ugly ones on your man, but ugly ties do make pretty eggs! You could also use silk from an old blouse, a scarf, whatever.
I try to find an assortment of colors and patterns. Usually dark blues, purples, and reds work the best, but it's fun to experiment with all kinds of things. The interesting thing is that you never know how much of the color and pattern will transfer to the eggs. Sometimes ties I think will be awesome really disappoint, and ones I didn't think much of make the most beautiful eggs. Here's the ties I picked up this year:
Usually it will tell you if it's 100% silk right on the main label of the tie, but a lot of them don't, and if that's the case, check that little tiny end, it's usually hiding there.
The first step is to deconstruct the tie. Snip the seams and remove the lining so you are just left with the silk.
Next you cut a piece large enough to cover an egg. Wrap the egg with the right side of the fabric making contact with the egg. The right side is the printed side, or the side that would be on the outside of the tie. You want to try to wrap the fabric as tight as you can without breaking the egg of course. The more direct contact the silk has with the egg shell the clearer the imprint of the pattern. Where there are folds in the fabric you'll get kind of a swirly water color effect. I love those parts- it adds to the charm. Once wrapped, tie with a piece of string or a twisty tie. (Do yourself a favor and go with the twisty tie!)
A little thought: You're going to use the largest part of the tie, at the bottom, and be left with the rest of it which might not be large enough to use again. What I do is take all of those pieces and just stitch them together on my sewing machine. It's really fast and then I'm left with a brand new piece of silk to cut squares from. You can get a lot more use out of them that way and it's fun to combine fabrics. Also, you can use a piece of silk more than once, but it loses a large amount of it's potency after the first dye, so I always just toss the used pieces.
Looking at the picture below makes me happy. It just does. How cute are those little guys? They have no idea what's comin'...
After the eggs are wrapped, you're going to wrap them again with a light colored light weight piece of fabric. An old pillowcase or sheet is perfect. If you go to the thrift store to get ties, you may want to grab a pillowcase too. Otherwise you might get impatient at home and just take one from your kid's room. Don't tell my husband I did that.
Put all those little guys in a pot and cover them with water. Add 1/4 C vinegar and bring it to a boil. After about 20 minutes you can remove the eggs and set them in a colander or on a towel to dry and cool. Once they're cool enough to handle you can remove the fabric.
This is my favorite part. I get so antsy waiting for them to cool. It's always a surprise to see what went on in that little package. Below are some of my results. I have to say that the first one is probably my favorite egg of all the ones I've ever done. I can't believe how clearly those flowers transferred and how bold the colors turned out. Incredible!
I absolutely love the cool stripy, swirly thing going on in this one
This is one of the disappointments I talked about. I was so excited for a green tie and I thought the pattern was cool (ya know, for an egg) but it turned out super light and muted. Still pretty though, kind of like water colors.
I almost didn't buy this blue tie because it looked boring, but I'm glad I did. Remember: bad ties make good eggs!
So that's that. Try this out and let me know how it goes. Everyone will wonder how on earth you did it! Just tell them you're a genius.
And if you do try it out, make sure to take some pictures and put them on our facebook page so we can all admire them!
Safety Note: A few people have asked about the dye transferring to the actual egg. Know that it is not food safe dye. Who knows where the silk came from our how it was colored. That being said, I have indeed eaten the eggs in years past and I'm still here, but to be on the safe you probably shouldn't.
For full, printable directions: Click here.
You need 100% silk for this to work. Make sure to check the labels to make sure you're not buying polyester, which can look similar. I grab old ties at the thrift store where they're all under a buck. And remember: when it comes to ties, you may not want ugly ones on your man, but ugly ties do make pretty eggs! You could also use silk from an old blouse, a scarf, whatever.
I try to find an assortment of colors and patterns. Usually dark blues, purples, and reds work the best, but it's fun to experiment with all kinds of things. The interesting thing is that you never know how much of the color and pattern will transfer to the eggs. Sometimes ties I think will be awesome really disappoint, and ones I didn't think much of make the most beautiful eggs. Here's the ties I picked up this year:
Usually it will tell you if it's 100% silk right on the main label of the tie, but a lot of them don't, and if that's the case, check that little tiny end, it's usually hiding there.
The first step is to deconstruct the tie. Snip the seams and remove the lining so you are just left with the silk.
Next you cut a piece large enough to cover an egg. Wrap the egg with the right side of the fabric making contact with the egg. The right side is the printed side, or the side that would be on the outside of the tie. You want to try to wrap the fabric as tight as you can without breaking the egg of course. The more direct contact the silk has with the egg shell the clearer the imprint of the pattern. Where there are folds in the fabric you'll get kind of a swirly water color effect. I love those parts- it adds to the charm. Once wrapped, tie with a piece of string or a twisty tie. (Do yourself a favor and go with the twisty tie!)
A little thought: You're going to use the largest part of the tie, at the bottom, and be left with the rest of it which might not be large enough to use again. What I do is take all of those pieces and just stitch them together on my sewing machine. It's really fast and then I'm left with a brand new piece of silk to cut squares from. You can get a lot more use out of them that way and it's fun to combine fabrics. Also, you can use a piece of silk more than once, but it loses a large amount of it's potency after the first dye, so I always just toss the used pieces.
Looking at the picture below makes me happy. It just does. How cute are those little guys? They have no idea what's comin'...
After the eggs are wrapped, you're going to wrap them again with a light colored light weight piece of fabric. An old pillowcase or sheet is perfect. If you go to the thrift store to get ties, you may want to grab a pillowcase too. Otherwise you might get impatient at home and just take one from your kid's room. Don't tell my husband I did that.
Put all those little guys in a pot and cover them with water. Add 1/4 C vinegar and bring it to a boil. After about 20 minutes you can remove the eggs and set them in a colander or on a towel to dry and cool. Once they're cool enough to handle you can remove the fabric.This is my favorite part. I get so antsy waiting for them to cool. It's always a surprise to see what went on in that little package. Below are some of my results. I have to say that the first one is probably my favorite egg of all the ones I've ever done. I can't believe how clearly those flowers transferred and how bold the colors turned out. Incredible!
I absolutely love the cool stripy, swirly thing going on in this one
This is one of the disappointments I talked about. I was so excited for a green tie and I thought the pattern was cool (ya know, for an egg) but it turned out super light and muted. Still pretty though, kind of like water colors.
I almost didn't buy this blue tie because it looked boring, but I'm glad I did. Remember: bad ties make good eggs!
So that's that. Try this out and let me know how it goes. Everyone will wonder how on earth you did it! Just tell them you're a genius.
And if you do try it out, make sure to take some pictures and put them on our facebook page so we can all admire them!
Safety Note: A few people have asked about the dye transferring to the actual egg. Know that it is not food safe dye. Who knows where the silk came from our how it was colored. That being said, I have indeed eaten the eggs in years past and I'm still here, but to be on the safe you probably shouldn't.
For full, printable directions: Click here.
These are great. I think I might just have to try them. I'll make a trip to goodwill this aft since I haven't got around to doing eggs with the kids yet. Thanks for the idea!!
ReplyDeleteok, that is the coolest thing ever!!! We HAVE to try making these, if not this year then next!
ReplyDelete