The most inspired ways to reuse a sari.
By Aiden Jewelle Gonzales
The Masala Wedding Fair is over and you need room for all the exquisite new saris you’ve bought. You’d like to ‘Marie Kondo’ your wardrobe, but even your most outdated saris are too gorgeous to get rid of all together. Fear not! In a stroke of serendipity, or rather, SARIndipity, we’ve put together a list of the most inspired ways to reuse a sari that Masala Recommends you try. Be warned, these can get addictive. Sari not sorry.
BE CLOTHES-MINDED, NOT CLOSED-MINDED
Take a page out of every fairy godmother’s book – the dregs of an old outfit can always be turned into an ingenious “newfit”. Whether it’s a flowy new lehenga, an intricate dupatta, or, for a more contemporary twist, palazzo trousers, all it takes is a few handy stitches to get you a new pair of britches (or any other apparel).
GIVE YOUR DEVICE SOME SPICE
Dial it up by using an old sari to create innovative but classic sleeves for your electronic devices, so you can now match your phone, tablet, or laptop with your wedding outfits. Even when you’re running out of battery, you can get a charge out of how original your device looks compared to everyone else’s – after all, it’s no longer an iPhone, it’s an “iSown”.
CREATE PALLU-TIFUL ART
Turn your sari into a Salvador Dali by using it to fashion inventive works of art. Whether you frame it, stretch it over a canvas frame, or use it as a tapestry, your sari artworks are sure to be considered a brush with genius. Why display a boring bucolic scene of serenity when you can instead draw a crowd with your abstract pieces of, well, sari-nity? I’m sure you get the picture.
GO BACK TO THE FU(RNI)TURE
Put the “desi” in “interior design” by transforming your saris into furnishings. From pillow covers to table runners to curtains (using your sheerer saris), show off that gorgeous pallu to get the kind of pillow-talk from your guests that the whole family appreciates. Remember to make best use of your saris’ borders and motifs for some truly unique designs.
MAKE PLUSH TOYS INTO LUSH TOYS
Why so sari-ous? Not everything you make must have a practical function. Instead, for the more skilled at needlework, consider creating plush toys made of saris, much like the Thai-silk plush elephants that abound in night markets. This way, you’ll have a challenging project to tackle, and your kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, etc. will have a gift that money can’t buy.
