Can't leave the house? Dye your own Easter eggs naturally. The earliest dyes came from nature: Yellow onion skins or hickory bark for yellow; madder root or brazilwood for red; walnut shells or coffee for brown; and barks, berries and leaves of other plants for a multitude of colors. Because nature provides such a profuse variety of raw materials, natural dyeing is an art, not a precise science.

Start with either hard-cooked eggs or emptied eggshells. Then, choose a dyestuff. Just a few possible dyestuffs for eggshells are listed below. Using your own judgement about quantity, place a handful - or two or three - of a dyestuff in a saucepan. Add tap water to come at least an inch above the dyestuff, about one cup water for each handful. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes or up to an hour until the color is the shade you desire, keeping in mind that eggs will dye a lighter shade. Remove the pan from the heat.

 Using cheesecloth or a fine sieve, strain the dye mixture into a small bowl that's deep enough to completely cover the eggs to be dyed. Add two to three teaspoons of white vinegar for each cup of liquid. With a spoon or wire egg holder from a dyeing kit, lower the eggs into the hot liquid and let them stand until they reach the desired color. For emptied eggshells, stir or rotate for even coloring. With a slotted spoon or wire egg holder, remove the eggs to a rack or drainer. Allow to dry thoroughly. Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs intended eggs intended to be eaten within less than two (2) hours.

Naturally dyed eggs tend to have a duller finish than commercially dyed eggs  For a soft sheen, after drying, rub with cooking or mineral oil.

Source: Eggcyclopedia, Unabridged 6/99. The Incredible Edible Egg, pg. 1.9