Dying to Dye

Ready to start dying all those eggs you've prepared? GOOD! Now most everyone knows the basic 1/2 boiling water + 1teaspoon white vinegar + food coloring. Don't worry too much about that recipe, I never measure and always customize my colors. The best dye's to use are are higher quality gel dyes. It will take a little more stirring but the colors are richer and bolder and you won't regret the extra $2.00. Plus these dyes last for years and can be used in anything. Get a starter pack with a variety of colors or buy individual containers of dye. You can find Wilton and other gel and paste dyes at specialty stores and most crafting chains (Joann's, Michael's and Hobby Lobby.) If you're using hard boiled eggs all you have to do is starting dunking and dying. If you're using blown out eggs you're not quite there. I string the egg through a bamboo skewer and use a ball of sticky tack at both ends of the egg to keep it secure. I like to use the white sticky tack because after several uses, dye will mix into it and after awhile that dye will transfer to other eggs. The white just makes it easier to determine when to throw it away. Remember how I told you not use those foam egg carton but to save them? Well here's where they come in handy. As I go through stringing all my eggs on their own skewer, I stick them into the foam container to hold them until I am ready to dye. Once you're at this step just take your eggs and roll them through the dye bath, the skewers make it easy and then stick it back in the foam container to dry. This way you will have minimal if any flaws. Once they are dry remove them from the skewer and sticky tack. It's really that easy.

To create patterns and polka dots and stripes and plaids use tape and stickers and layer the dyes BUT let the egg dry completely before applying another color. Also it is important to only run the egg through the second, third, etc... bath for a few spins. If you leave it in too long the first application will run, ruining the color it is in and leaving the final color muddy. I'll go through and show exactly what I use and give examples of those techniques this weekend but for now you have the basics to get going. Experiment, have fun, make mistakes and of course make beautiful eggs!