How to Make a Sari Outfit for Women
Saris are worn by women in India and Pakistan. The saris have woven, printed or embroidered ornamental borders and are draped around the body so that the border stands out. Wear your sari over the tightly fitted, cropped blouse with short sleeves and a round neckline called a choli. The sari is often worn with a petticoat, which provides a waistband for tucking in the fabric of the sari and a modest lining for see-through fabrics.
Things You'll Need
- Plain blouse pattern
- Fabric for the blouse
- 5.5 to 9 yards of 45-inch-wide fabric for the sari
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Scissors
- Zipper or hooks
- Safety pins
- Long slip with drawstring waist.
Instructions
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Choose lightweight, opaque fabric for the blouse. Choose a matching or contrasting fabric for the sari, a light-weight fabric that drapes well. Stiff or heavy fabrics will be too heavy to wear and won't look right.
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Choose a pattern for a fitted blouse with darts. Make short sleeves and crop the blouse to just above the waist. Make an opening in the front or back for a zipper or for hooks and eyes so that you can put the blouse on easily. Make a plain round neckline with facing or binding.
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3
Hold the sari up, looking into a mirror, to determine the length that suits you. Fold the excess fabric in at the waist, making sure the bottom edge is straight and the right length.
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4
Tuck the fabric into your petticoat, starting from the right hip toward the left hip and on around the back. Leave enough room so you can walk easily, tucking in any extra fabric at the waist so the sari hangs straight.
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Make five to seven 4-inch pleats at the center front of your waist. Watch in the mirror to make sure the pleats all hang straight and overlap evenly. Line up the bottom of the pleats with the first layer you wrapped around your waist.
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Hold the pleats in front with one hand. Wrap the remaining fabric across your back and around to the front again. Bring the loose end of the fabric across the front of your body and over your left shoulder.
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Tuck the pleats into your waistband as neatly as possible. Pin the pleats to the petticoat for extra security.
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Pull the last layer of the sari tightly up into your right armpit. Arrange pleats on your left shoulder to leave just enough fabric to cover your left upper arm. Pin the pleats at the shoulder to the choli.
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Tips & Warnings
If you can't find an appropriate petticoat, make a slightly A-line skirt out of lightweight, opaque fabric. Cut it so it is ankle-length and sew tubing around the waist. Run a ribbon through the tubing so you secure the petticoat at your waist. Hem the bottom. Or, if your sari fabric is opaque, pin the sari to your underpants.
References
Resources
- Uncut Cloth: Saris, Shawls, and Sashes; Nasreen Askari and Liz Arthur
- Photo Credit PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
