A Surprising Use for Old Neckties

I'll never throw away another old necktie- at least not one that is 100% silk.  They make the most fantastically beautiful colored eggs. In fact, they are so pretty, you'll probably want to hollow out the insides of the eggs so you can keep them for decoration or give them away as gifts.

This past week our preschool co-op made them go along with a lesson on Faberge eggs, but quite honestly, it is a project better suited to older children.  (Little hands have a difficult time wrapping the eggs tightly enough.

Materials:

100% silk scraps (I raided my thrift shop for old neckties.  Small prints work best- also ties that aren't terribly faded)
twist ties
strips of cotton fabric

If you are hollowing out the eggs, do that first by pricking the tops and bottoms of the eggs with a safety pin and twisting the pin around a bit to enlarge the holes.  Blow the yolk and albumen out of the eggs into a bowl.

Cut the silk fabric so that it is just the right size to completely wrap the egg.  Bind it as tightly as possible to the egg, minimizing wrinkles (they will show up as white lines on the egg.  Twist the ends of the fabric like a piece of candy and secure with twist ties.

Wrap the eggs with a second layer of fabric using the cotton strips.  Make sure the silk is completely covered.    This step really is necessary.  I skipped it with one batch, and they did not turn out well.  (The dye escapes to the water and the silk does not stay close enough to the egg).

Drop in a pot of water.  Bring to a boil and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.  If your eggs are hollow you will need to place a second pot on top of the eggs to sink them down in the water a bit.

Remove from water, allow to cool and unwrap your eggs.  This part is so fun!

 

(Many thanks to the person who suggested we try this activity in a comment a while back.  I'm afraid I can't remember who or what post it was at this point, unfortunately.  I really need a better way to organize my blogging life!) For tips on how to get the best results see Crafting a Green World.