Fab Fabrics: Vintage Sari

We posted a few weeks ago about vintage Kimono fabric, and it got me thinking about other vintage fabrics that you could repurpose for crafty use. A couple of folks on Twitter mentioned vintage sari fabric, which seemed like a perfect follow up!

Sari is a traditional Indian garment, and it’s really flexible! It’s essentially a large piece of fabric – usually from five to 10 yards long and three to four feet wide. There are hundreds of ways to wrap a sari, making it extremely versatile. Usually made of silk, you can also find cotton sari if you hunt a little bit. The fabric is just gorgeous – intricate prints in bold colors and metallic shades. Sari fabric is just as versatile for craft projects as it is as a garment! It looks like Etsy and eBay both have great selections to choose from! Here’s are some ideas to get you started:

  • Fold over the top and sew or use stitch witchery to make a great pair of quickie curtains.
  • You could cut it into lengths and either finish the edges with a serger or a rolled hem, like in this handkerchief tutorial, and make a few beautiful lightweight scarves.
  • The intricate embroidery would make perfect fabric for a pillow or even a cover for a bigger cushion.
  • Use any leftover scraps to make appliques or pretty contrasting patches for mending a pair of worn out jeans.
  • Is it wrong that pretty much every pretty print fabric looks like it’s begging to become a skirt?

What are some other craft projects you can do with vintage sari fabric?

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Helen Cook.

7 thoughts on “Fab Fabrics: Vintage Sari”

  1. In the town where I went to college, there used to be this hippie-style store where they would handcraft a lot of the merchandise (I saw the sewing machine and the fabric pile and thought that would be the most fun place to work!) One of the things they had there were these skirts made from recycled saris– very simple, basically just two rectangles sewn up one side and layered together (one of silk and one of the embroidered sheer) with a casing made from the silk and a drawstring to make it fit. I think I paid about $30-40 for it, and it seemed like a HUGE splurge for a style that I could have easily sewn myself, but the fabric was so gorgeous, and in a color combination I wouldn’t have thought to put together myself, that I couldn’t pass it up. It’s still one of my favorite skirts. Anyway, there’s another idea of what you can do with the saris.

  2. I have a vintage sari silk skirt, its absolutely gorgeous! Now im trying to find some vintage sari fabric, any ideas or recommendations?!

    x

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top