Sarah's Silks Playsilk and Egg Dye Kit

The kit includes food grade dye packets in yellow, rose and blue, plus vinegar to set the colour. Mixing the three primaries lets you blend a wider palette, so you can experiment with shades across a batch of silks.

There is enough dye to colour roughly three to five play silks, depending on how deep you want each shade. Lighter, pastel results stretch further, while rich, saturated colours use more dye per piece.

The dyes are food grade and made for children aged six and up. With an adult nearby to help with hot water and pouring, kids can take part in the mixing and dipping themselves and watch the colour develop.

Yes, the same food grade dyes work on eggs as well as silk, which makes it a fun seasonal project. Set up both alongside each other and children can colour eggs and a silk in one happy sitting.

Vinegar helps the dye bond to the silk and shell so the colour holds and looks vivid. Adding it to the dye bath as directed gives cleaner, longer lasting results than water alone would produce on its own.

Once dry, a freshly dyed silk becomes an open ended toy for dress up, small world scenes, forts and dancing. Making the colour themselves gives children a sense of pride whenever they reach for it later.