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Natural Egg Dyes with Botanic Prints
approximately 4 cups onion skins
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar, divided
1 dozen eggs, preferably white
1 dozen pieces cheesecloth cut into approximately 6-inch squares
1 dozen pieces of thread cut into 6 inch lengths, or twist ties
Place the onion skins, tumeric and blueberries in separate non-reactive pots and add enough water so that an egg placed in them would be submerged.
Select the flower or leaf that you would like to use for your egg and place it in the middle of your cheesecloth square. Place the egg on top of it, positioning it carefully so that the plant will leave its impression where you want it. Pull up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist them together tightly. Tie them together with a piece of thread or a twist tie. Lower the wrapped egg slowly into the dye of your choice. Continue in this manner until all of the eggs are bundled.
Add 1/2 cup of cider vinegar to each pot. Bring each pot to a gentle boil and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Gently remove an egg from each pot and check the color. If you want a darker color, add more vinegar to the pot and let it simmer a bit longer. Let the water cool, remove the eggs, and cut the cheesecloth off each egg. Gently rinse the eggs. If you like, you can polish them with a bit of oil, but do this very carefully so the color does not come off.
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