If you’re looking for a way to incorporate more sustainable and natural practices into this season without sacrificing your traditional activities, consider making your own dyes from fruits and vegetables! Natural dyeing is not only eco-friendly but can also be so much fun. With just a few household ingredients you can create amazing hues perfect for decorating your eggs this Easter—all while learning some new skills too!
Onion Skin Eggs
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Cut pieces of cloth approximately 8 inches by 8 inches and gather some elastic bands.
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Wrap each white raw egg in the cloth with onion skins and any other bits you would like to try for texture and/or colour, such as ferns, fir tips, rice, coffee/tea grounds etc.
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Place bundles in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add vinegar, approximately ¼ cup for a large pot, and let stand 5 more minutes.
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Remove eggs from the wraps- no rush- the longer you leave them the darker your colours will become.
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Oil the eggs and marvel at your beautiful creations!
Making Colour Dyes
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Chop purple cabbage and grate beets. Place one cup of plant matter to one cup of water in a pot. For turmeric use ½ tbsp ground turmeric per cup of water. Bring each to a boil and simmer for 20-40 minutes.
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Let cool to room temperature.
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Strain out plant matter.
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Stir in vinegar, one tbsp per cup of liquid.
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You can either place white hardboiled eggs directly in the dye bath or add some decoration at this point. To add decoration, place your pattern pieces on your egg (such as flowers, ferns, spruce/fir tips etc) and wrap in cloth or cheesecloth to hold plant piece firmly against the egg.
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Place hard boiled eggs in the dye and let sit in the fridge til you get a desired colour. Colour becomes more vibrant if you take the egg out, dry and put back in for a second or third time.
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If you wish to mix your colours you can do this at this time, for example, put a yellow egg into the blue for a green result, or take off decoration wrap and place in new colour for a dual coloured result.
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Oil eggs and enjoy:)
We hope you’ve enjoyed creating your very own Easter masterpieces with natural dyes and that these eggs bring even more light and colour into your holiday season. Happy egg decorating!
