Batik is a method of dying fabric by way of blocking areas you don’t want dyed by applying wax. You can create batik eggs using masking tape instead of wax as your blocking agent.
By Andrea Mulder-Slater
What You Need:
- Masking tape
- Scissors or knife (and ADULT SUPERVISION)
- Easter egg dye [see recipe below]
- Hard boiled eggs
- Plastic Spoon
- Plastic wrap
What You Do:
To make these funky eggs, start by placing pieces of masking tape randomly on an egg, leaving some areas exposed. If you want to get super fancy, you can cut designs out of the tape using an X-Acto blade. Because my daughter is 6, we just tore bits of tape off the roll and stuck them onto the egg.
Dip the egg into a dye bath.
Remove the egg, let it dry and peel away the tape.
Add more tape and dip into a second colour.
Again, let the egg dry and remove the tape.
And… repeat.
Continue until you are happy with the results.
EASTER EGG DYE
All you need to do is combine the following ingredients in a container and let the mixture cool.
- 1 cup hot water. I used boiling water from the kettle.
- 1 teaspoon vinegar. A little more is fine. So is a little less.
- 10 to 20 drops food colouring. The more you squeeze, the more intense the shade.
Homemade Crepe Paper Dye Recipe
- Cut strips of crepe paper (crepe paper is the sort of stuff they make birthday party streamers out of – make sure it is the type which runs when wet).
- Place the strips in a bowl.
- Pour hot water (from the tap or from the kettle) over the paper in the bowl. Make sure there is ADULT SUPERVISION
- Take the paper out of the water using a large spoon.
- Add some white vinegar to the dye (about 1 tablespoon) The vinegar helps the dye to set.
- Let the mixture cool.
- Voila – Crepe Paper Dye
A version of this craft appeared on YMC with the title 3 Kid-Friendly Creative Easter Egg Ideas
