What is Sari Ribbon?

Sari Ribbon

Whenever I look at works of other jewelry artists, I tend to look closely at the materials they use and if something is interesting or new, I try and research it. That is how I stumbled on Sari ribbon two years back. It looked beautiful, vibrant, expensive, new, yet very very familiar and  I was intrigued. I found a few vendors abroad selling it, though they had no description regarding the material, the zoom ups revealed sewn up fabric scraps. I had a “Aha!” moment for I had realised what they were – They were Silk Saree Scraps!!

I forgot all about them, until the recent bead soup blog hop when my partner Lilik mentioned that she would like some Sari ribbon from local markets. I could not control my laughter –  I was like ‘buying sari ribbon here, thats a good joke’. I think I might have shocked her a little. Its funny as it is equivalent to buying old newspaper from a store, which you probably sold to them in the first place.  If it sounds confusing to you, just humour me, keep calm and read on ( my apologies for a long post!!) . Before going on to the technicalities of the ribbon, let me give you some background.

  what is Sari Ribbon

Saree and the Society

Traditional (read many years ago) Indian silk sarees, particularly the ones bought during weddings were heavy and had real silver thread or zari in their borders. Unlike the north, where wedding sarees had hardly worn, they are worn regularly in the south. Thus due to wear and tear, they literally tear or come apart after a few years. The artistic ones would convert them into cushion covers, curtain or make clothes for kids as the sarees were quite expensive to begin with. But  they would soon end up with small tears unable to take the pressure of the sewing machine and would be relegated to the attic as people dint know what to do with them.
Then in mid 2000s came maverick saree stores with new interesting designs and light weight silks enticing the younger crowd by offering exchanges. Brand new pattern saree in exchange for an old one, whatever be its condition..

The Saree Recycling business

This Masterstroke of a marketing campaign led to small business selling lots of new light weight sarees with silver plated or silver finish zari which was a drastic reduction in quality and durability compared to the old ones but people were okay with it for several reason – chief of them not spending money out of their pockets and secondly not having to ask their husbands or inlaws before buying them.. Generally women never bought silk sarees for themselves, by themselves, unless they were public figures or very rich ( This did not extend to cotton or synthetic sarees, simple silks  or salwars that women wore on an everyday basis). Even when the woman worked, it would always be a parent, sibling, husband, inlaws or son who paid for the sarees chosen by the woman though this has drastically changed now. This was not merely due to financial dependance as buying a silk saree was considered a gesture of love and duty, something that is sadly missing nowadays.

The stores made up for the difference by recycling the zari into metal and silk part into fibre pulp and selling them. But for the most part the silk portion was considered waste – until someone had the idea  to chop them up and sell them as ribbons.

 Thus was born the Sari Ribbon!!

types of silk sarees
Types of Saree materials – Polyester, Poly cot, silk cot, pure silk (mulberry), Tussar silk, Jute Silk, Viscose-poly blend

So when I saw sari ribbon being sold, I marvelled at it, being a pro recycling designer but it also saddened me thinking that it will never work here in India. I remember, in 2011, when I used a frayed silk ribbon in a metal necklace, almost everyone I showed it to accused me of putting a “good pendant on scrap fabric” and reducing its value. Three years later the situation is still the same. An average Indian prefers shiny metal over patina, bright colours over muted tones and perfect mould finished over raw natural work. I am being neither judgmental here nor apologetic, for even I am like that sometimes; maybe its what suits our skin tone better.

But seeing people here go to great lengths to import organza ribbon and gross grain and people in the west do the same with Indian lampwork beads and fabric ribbons – I can safely say that it is the classic case of grass being greener on the other side 

Indian saree types
Types of Saree materials –Cotton, Silk crepe, Printed poly crepe, printed cot poly, tie dyed poly, embroidered poly

The main reason for writing this post – is to bring awareness regarding this material. So much of the fabrics I saw during the blog hops were not silk sari ribbons– most of them weren’t silk (mulberry, tussar or eri) they were spun silk which is polyester and most of them weren’t from recycled sarees.   They were just cut out of new fabric and washed to give a worn out feel freaking out the fashion designer in me. And I felt really sad that people using them, didn’t realise it. Some even mentioned that they didn’t know how to recognise sari ribbons or even identify silk. Somehow I felt some strange sense of duty (?); wanted to clear some myths and give tips to recognize real sari silk.

Sari ribbon Facts

1) Sarees can be made from any material – not necessarily silk (please see the picture of sarees of different fabric above). Silk is a fibre and Sarees are 6 yards (or more) fabric that is worn as a garment. A  pure silk saree can be a plain silk saree, brocade, jacquard, chiffon, crepe and even Georgette. Tussar, Eri and muga are non mulberry silks. Ahimsa silk is made from cocoons discarded by silk worms.
2) True recycled sari ribbons will not be crisp – they will be soft – have a worn in feeling – water spots and iron marks will be seen in larger widths.
3) To identify silk – just smell it – It should smell like hair – If you burn a strand it should smell like eggs or burning meat for Silk is basically a protein.

 Sari Ribbon necklace 
Saree border necklace, Silk Thread necklace

4) Silk thread used in jewelry is an embroidery thread made of viscose, it is not the silk yarn that is used in weaving.
5) Sari ribbon is different from border ribbon or borders. Borders resemble woven saree border designs (may/may not have sequins/stones fixed on them) and are usually attached to sleeve hems of blouses to match with the sarees. They are also stitched on to plain sarees, kurtas, skirts, bags and home furnishings!!
6) Sarees can be made with tie and dye techniques too ( Bhandini, Ikat, Sungudi), so ribbons cut from them might have differential dyeing effects – usually with patterns (e.g above green saree with pink stripes called leheriya) but they are different from silk shibhori ribbons.
7) Traditional silk sarees are woven in single colors or dual colors (double shade) and can be either solids, stripes, checks or patterned but they will rarely be dyed in different colors across the width. That rules out most of the so called recycled/authentic ribbon I found available on US sites.

That sums up what I know on silk sari ribbons. I don’t claim to be an expert on this topic and Apart from cutting out worn out sarees at home I haven’t really played with the “manufactured sari ribbons”, so any addition of that knowledge will be appreciated. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

I hope you find it interesting
Cheers

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52 responses to “What is Sari Ribbon?”

  1. Marti Conrad avatar

    This is a fantastic post which really needs to be studied! Thank you for this great information!

  2. Divya N avatar

    I am glad that it is of help to you

  3. jonwen45 avatar

    I really enjoyed this post and I am sure that I will refer to it again and again.

  4. Carolyn avatar

    I found the post most interesting. Will have to reread the article so gain more information

  5. Corrie Lyn avatar

    Such an interesting post. I haven't ventured the path of using ribbon yet but I now know what to look for if I want to be authentic.

  6. Shaiha avatar

    Oh thank you for sharing your knowledge. I haven't worked a lot with sari silks or ribbons but now I have an idea of what to look for.

  7. Janice avatar

    Very interesting post. Thank you for the information.

  8. KelsyC avatar

    Thanks for sharing this post! I didn't know any of that.

  9. Marianne Baxter avatar

    Very interesting information. Thank you for posting

  10. Michelle Mach avatar

    What a wonderful new perspective on sari ribbons! I liked your example of buying old newspapers from a store. Thanks for sharing!

  11. Nan Smith avatar

    Thanks for the clarification, Divya. We are all so eager to try something new that we don't always look into as much as we should. All I can imagine is the vendors laughing at the money they are making from scraps! Buyer beware and know what you're buying.

  12. Radhika avatar

    Great info on saree ribbon Divya.. Your neck pieces look amazing.. Love the 1st one bright color against raagi kada pendant.. 🙂 but these saree ribbon jewellery I think is good idea as it's light weight and using bright colors against the metals will look amazing.. They must gain popularity here in India.. They fits perfectly with ethnic wear 🙂

  13. Divya N avatar

    The problem here is Radhika, we sweat a lot and ribbons get damp also since customers identify it as scrap fabric they dont want to pay well for it. its Just a question of cultural adjustments.

  14. Divya N avatar

    Its a new thought and helps recycle – so thats good but as a buyer we should not get cheated into believing something blindly. For eg Spun silk is not silk, its polyester

  15. Divya N avatar

    haaaa, thats the first thing that popped into my mind, when my partner asked me for sari ribbon 🙂

  16. Divya N avatar

    I am glad that you all found it useful and interesting

  17. TesoriTrovati avatar

    While I do like the ribbon, the frayed edges, the rich colors, I was never able to make it work in my designs. So now I use it in my packaging for a special touch. Thanks for the information! Enjoy the day. Erin

  18. Little Treasures avatar

    Several years ago I read a book that was about a Saree seller and I learned a lot from it due to the extensive yet interesting descriptions. However this was a great post to brush up my memory.
    Thank you for sharing.

  19. Divya N avatar

    I think that it will look great on your message stamped pendants. But then I have seen customers often shy away from picking up pieces that have fibre in them, so it really comes to individual tastes.

  20. Divya N avatar

    each region and state (in India) has its own traditional sarees and its a big subject by itself to study. Here I have concentrated more on basic info so that people will have a general idea of what it is

  21. Gayathri Gururajan avatar

    hi divya, nice post. also i liked ur pendants. where from u source ur materials like beads, etc? Im also a jewelry designer and hav jus started selling my creations thru fb n a small way 🙂

  22. misty overstreet avatar

    Hello, my name is Misty and I am the new co-host for the Merry Monday's Linky Party, and wanted to stop by and thank you for linking up this week! This is such an awesome link, and I hope to see you at the next linky party!

  23. Chely Espinoza avatar

    Hi there, very interesting. i will be decorating glass bottles (altered bottles), and need sari ribbon. the problem is that I have to buy it on Amazon, and won't be able to identify it. i need to find a place where to buy, maybe L.A. downtown. I know some friends married to a Hindu man and they just went to India!!!!! hahaha, if I knew…. I was thinking about buying silk shantung which i read people use it to make sarees. maybe just a white color so I can use distress stains and get the color I need. what do you think? thanks in advance

  24. Divya N avatar

    hi, you can either buy silk yardage and dye it (using silk dyes) or buy old sarees and cut them up if you want authentic saree ribbon. you could even hunt for scarves at flea markets or bazaars and cut them up

  25. Linda Britt avatar

    I have an old saree and would like to make ribbon. Should it be cut on the bias or with the grain? and what is the typical width of ribbon?

  26. Divya N avatar

    you can cut it on any grain – on bias the edges will fray less and stretch more and on straight or cross it will fray more. Width will depend on the application for which you want it – 0.5" to 0.75" for jewelry (wrapping or as cords) and 1" and above if you want to use it for packaging. This is just my idea, you can do whatever you want as there are no rules here. Have fun with your ribbon

  27. blair kimberlin avatar

    I just found your page and love it!i have always loved silk in any fashion and started with making silk ribbon millinery flowers. then I found shibori. after my mother passed away I found over 400 yards of silk in her basement, 20 yards was antique silk saree material, white with an 8 inch border of sterling silver thread. I don't know if you have anything like that but I would be happy to send you some (for free) if you would like to check it out.

    1. Shari avatar
      Shari

      If you still any remaining if you would kindly send me some as I use in scarves for my family. sescalante351@gmail.com

    2. Shari avatar
      Shari

      If you still any remaining if you would kindly send me some as I use in scarves for my family.

  28. Divya N avatar

    I am glad that you found it useful

  29. Divya N avatar

    Hi, You can email me a picture and I can tell you what it could be. I would try to try it out too if you can ship it to India

  30. Chris Caine avatar

    Thank you for telling me what I sadly suspected. I have pure silk scraps of fabric, old curtains, dresses anything, I buy it at flea markets etc anywhere I can get my hands on it. However, the colours tend to be rather muted so I am experimenting with dyes. But as I want to make some jewellery with brighter colours I decided I may purchase some on eBay. But had my suspicions it was stated as "silk" but wasn't. Many thanks for telling me the truth…

  31. Divya N avatar

    Indian silk is indeed made in Vibrant Colors but recycled silk might be muted

  32. Vytas Adomkaitis avatar

    Hi Divya. I was wondering a couple of things (this is Betsy, Vytas' wife). I make handmade jewelry and add things such as sari silk from other countries to support the women there (India and Uganda so far). However, I have found that the sari silk tears and I can't use it for the backs of necklaces because I'm concerned they will come apart.
    Can you tell me why they tear? And do you have any suggestions on how to use them, especially so that they hold up? I have made beads out of them and will have a basket's worth for the rest of my life if I can't use them in longer strips (well, there are worse things like getting a wire coat hanger caught in your eye – apologies, I have a weird sense of humor most people don't like of get).
    Any info would be great and thank you for your post, I'll reread it over and over again.
    Cheers,
    Betsy

  33. Divya N avatar

    Any fabric, especially recycled/washed fabrics will tear (handling, water, detergent, friction makes the interlacing of yarns weaker) and there is nothing that can be done about it. If you are using new fabric I would suggest that you cut them on bias (45 deg grain line – diagonal) for it will stretch but not easily tear. However it might not work for old fabrics. I suggest that you use suede, felt or leather as backing for your necklaces for more stability.

  34. […] with fabric tapes (borders used for embellishing hems) one of which you can see in this post on Sari ribbon.  I had later hoped to make a full collection based on that, but the idea never materialised until […]

  35. […] they are two different discs, they connected by wire providing a sense of continuity and fluidity. Saree ribbon and silk thread jewelry is all the rage now, making these silk thread earrings a must-have for your […]

  36. michelle avatar
    michelle

    Thank you for that information. I recently bought some sari silk ribbon and it was soft and brightly colored and wasn’t all scrunched up. It felt like the silk I’ve used before. However the next order (diff seller) was scrunched up and felt like it had been washed – was stiffer and drawn up. Wasn’t sure it was even real silk.. now I’ll try the end burn test and see. Thank you so much for the short cultural lesson as well as the fiber information. I appreciate your knowledge.. take care – Michelle

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      I am glad that it was useful Michelle. Most silks will become soft as you wash them (just like human hair). Teh newer stiffer ones will have gum left in them that makes them stiff

  37. Cindy Foster avatar
    Cindy Foster

    I just purchased 5 totes of older Indian clothes, mostly sarees, dresses, skirts, pants and tops. Many are highly embellished with beads etc. About half appear to be handmade by the look of the stitches and those that are not, have tags indicating 100% pure silk. I was wanting to make my own ribbon yarn, and become more educated about the fabrics and the best way to work with them.

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      Hey Cindy, the fabric might be handmade and so would be the embroidering of them. It is highly unlikely that the garments are handmade as well as only couture garments are hand stitched. Used silk like cotton will tear very easily which is an indicator. You can burn a small sample and check – if its pure silk you’ll get a sulfur smell (egg smell) while burning

  38. Kanakapriya avatar
    Kanakapriya

    Interesting.. I didn’t realise we were averse to material scrap considering traditional quilts are made from old saris…
    Do you do much macrame/crochet? Any suggestions for tearing an old sari into ribbons? I am not sure how necessaryhavei f a roundish shape is for yarn work… I could simply be overthinking everything

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      India, traditionally practised a zero waste method before the western idea of “use and throw” came. We preferred to throw away used products as opposed to cleaning and taking better care of them. You can tear old sarees into ribbons for crochet provided you are not averse to the years fraying. Such crocheted pieces would have a fuzzy look to them. If you want a cleaner look or tubular yarns use old Tshirts. The single jersey knits will curl up when cut into strips and give you the finish that you want.

  39. Lynn avatar
    Lynn

    Hi Divya,
    What a great post. I am new to buying recycled saree /sari ribbons. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can buy the real fabric ribbons?

    Thank you for all of your help!

    Lynn

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      There are several shops on etsy that sell sari ribbons. Recycled ribbons should have a washed (soft) feeling to them and will be crushed. Ask the dealer if the fabric is silk or polyester before you purchase it

  40. Brigette avatar
    Brigette

    Thank you for this information! I went and bought 8 Saris of beautiful colors from a second hand shop and plan to cut them into strips (saving the pretty decorative parts) and had no knowledge of the fact that people are using fabric that isn’t from the saris, but they say they are.
    I’m not sure what I will do with this much sari fabric but maybe I will make some pillow covers as well as jewlary.

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      That is a great idea. You can braid the strips and make mats or small covers. you can also weave with them to make mats and rugs. If they are washed sarees they might not really withstand machine stitching so hand sewing might be better.

      1. Brigette avatar
        Brigette

        Great idea!
        I do want to ask about 2 dresses I got. They are very ornate, but the top fabric is a stretchy netting. Are these “modern” versions of the Sari? Also, I noticed that one dress has an interesting pouch on the inside of the lining in the back of the dress. I was wondering what the pouch is used for? I would love to send you pictures but am not sure how to do that on here.

        1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

          Hi Brigette, A saree typically is an unstitched garment, though some stitched readymade versions of sarees do exist. What you have might be a kurta or a tunic. you can email me the pictures, I can take a look at them.

          1. Brigette avatar
            Brigette

            Ok I will email photos.
            How do I find your email? ♥️

  41. Monica Holtsclaw avatar
    Monica Holtsclaw

    Can anything be used on the edges to prevent fraying?

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      Try Fray check, it might work

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