Ostara How to make natural egg dyes: Start with hard-cooked (boiled) eggs and refrigerate until ready to use. Eggs that are too fresh are difficult to peel. The fresher the eggs, the harder it will be to peel them because the white membrane is just not mature enough. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. Eggs need to be at least three days old to peel well. The longer you soak the eggs in the dye liquids (of your choice), the more intense the colours will be. If desired, before dyeing the eggs, draw shapes, pictures or inspiring words on them with crayons or a piece of wax. The wax wont absorb the colour so the designs will show through. Using a crayon, simply draw a design onto your eggs and then dye as you would any other Easter egg. Your crayon design will be accentuated by your choice of dye! Rubber bands are all you need to make tie-dyed eggs. Use a collection of different sized rubber bands. Wrap the rubber bands, one at a time, around the eggs. Make sure to leave some of the egg shell exposed so it can be dyed. Once the eggs are dyed to the colour you like, remove them from the water and let them dry. Once dried completely, pull the rubber bands off to reveal your banded design. Wash hard-cooked (boiled) eggs in warm soapy water to remove any oily residue that may impede the colour from adhering to the eggs. Let eggs cool before attempting to dye. You need to use your own judgment about exactly how much of each dye stuff to use. Except for spices, place a handful (or two or three handfuls) of a dyestuff in a saucepan. Add tap water to come at least one inch above the dye stuff. NOTE: This will be about 1 cup of water for each handful of dyestuff. Bring the water just to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer about 15 minutes or up to an hour until you like the colour obtained. Keep in mind that dyed eggs will not get as dark as the colour in the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour mixture into a liquid measuring cup. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of white vinegar for each cup of strained dye liquid. Pour the mixture into a bowl or jar that is deep enough to completely cover the eggs you want to dye. Use a slotted spoon to lower the eggs into the hot liquid. Leave the eggs in the water until you like the colour. NOTE: Allow the egg to sit in the tea for several hours or overnight. The longer the egg soaks, the deeper the final colour will be. If you plan to eat the eggs be sure to do this step in the refrigerator. When eggs are dyed to the colour you desire, lift the eggs out with the slotted spoon. Let them dry on a rack or drainer. NOTE: An egg carton works nicely as a drying rack. Be careful to handle the eggs gently and minimally as some of the colours can easily be rubbed off before the egg has dried. For a textured look, dab the still wet egg with a sponge. Eggs coloured with natural dyes have a dull finish and are not glossy. After they are dry, you can rub the eggs with cooking oil or mineral oil to give them a soft sheen. Items To Dye With for each colour: Blue Canned Blueberries Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled) Purple Grape Juice Brown or Beige Strong Coffee Instant Coffee Black Walnut Shells (boiled) Black Tea Brown Gold Dill Seeds Brown Orange Chilli Powder Gold Turmeric Green Spinach Leaves (boiled) Liquid Chlorophyll Greenish Yellow Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled) Grey Purple or red grape juice or beet juice Lavender Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice Red Zinger Tea Orange Yellow Onion Skins (boiled) Carrots Paprika Pink Beets Cranberries or Juice Raspberries Red Grape Juice Juice from Pickled Beets Red Pomegranate juice Canned Cherries (with syrup) Raspberries Cranberries Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Violet or Purple Violet Blossoms Hibiscus tea Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Red Wine Yellow Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled) Carrot Tops (boiled) Chamomile Tea Celery Seed (boiled) Green tea Ground Cumin (boiled) Ground Turmeric (boiled) or Saffron Moonflower )O(
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:00:01 +0000
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