The Sari Baby Quilt

Universally, handmade baby quilts are probably the most special type of quilt there is (at least in my opinion!). They're often made with so much love, especially if it is for someone you know (which it usually is). And then you get the extra special type of baby quilt - the one made with fabric that is special as well. A sari baby quilt falls into that category. Typically made from a sari that has been worn and passed down for a generation (or two), it's full of memories, love and blessings for the little one and the family.

The What...

Before we begin, what is a sari? It is a long length of fabric (approximately 5.5metres), that is worn as a garment by being draped a certain way - with pleats! A blouse accompanies on top, and an underskirt is worn at the bottom. It is worn by many cultures from the South Asian or Indian subcontinent region. The draping varies from region to region. I've attached a photo of me in a sari, standing with my husband (also in traditional clothing), dressed up for one of our wedding functions.

A disclaimer or FYI, if you will: a sari is like any other item of clothing (like trousers or skirts or shirts) and is made from a variety of different fabrics, from handwoven, to machine made - including polyblends! In the photo, I am wearing a soft silk sari, which I would only wear for a special occasion. The benefit to repurposing a pre-loved sari for something else is the amount of fabric available in each one. There are also other types of sari quilts: some of the quilts made from pure silk or silk blend saris (like my sari in the photo) might fall into the art quilt category because they are decadent in nature. These might become wall hangings or something that is for display, rather than use. By contrast, the saris used to make baby quilts are usually very well-worn and well-loved pure cotton saris. They make the softest, snuggli-est baby quilt ever!

Sari quilts for babies and children have been made in my family for at least two generations (that I am aware of); I made this sari baby quilt for my second daughter from a sari that used to belong to my aunt (my mother's sister). My mother made a different type of sari quilt from her mother's old sari for my sister, a quilt now used by my older daughter. Both sari quilts are well used and well-loved in our home.

The How...

So how did I make this quilt?! I'll show you my method to make two quilts using only the fabric from the sari + batting. Lots of people have different ways to do this, and those are also perfectly legitimate ways to make a sari quilt. This method was simply the one that best fit my needs at the time. For the sake of clarity, I've used lots of photos in this blog; it might mean that there's less writing to read in between the photos, or that the photos might take over your screen! But I think the photos will help demonstrate the steps I used to make this quilt.

For this quilt(s) you will need:

1. One pre-loved cotton sari, preferably with woven pattern instead of a print.

2. Batting (or wadding), approximately 40" by 50" piece.

3. Fabric scissors.

4. Basting pins (or regular safety pins).

5. Needle and thread or sewing machine.

First, pick the sari you want to use. My suggestion would be a lovely, well-worn and well-loved sari for this project, preferably one that is a fairly tight weave. (Saris with a looser weave tend to stretch along the bias a lot more, which can make it harder to work with.) Something without bright borders, pallu, or embroidery, sequins, or other embellishments (choking risk!). Most cotton saris are starched before they're worn; if the sari you picked has been starched you can choose to leave it as it is or wash it out. The sari I used had not been worn for a long time, so it was not starched to begin with.

Press your fabric. Pay attention to the edges, especially along the borders as they tend to fold over. But it's okay if it is not perfect!

Next, fold the sari in half lengthwise (as if you were to fold it), and cut it on the fold along the width of the sari (i.e., border to border). For most saris this should be just over 1m. This gives enough fabric for two baby sized quilts.

(Continued below...)

Then, lay your cut fabric out on a large surface (I used a queen bed). Fold your sari in thirds, adjust as needed. Make sure the outer layers have the right side of fabric facing out.

Press again if possible (I omitted this step because my iron wouldn't reach that far!)

Folded in thirds

Unfold the last fold

Unfold the last 'fold' as shown in the image. Press again, if able! This is where we will add the batting.

Layer your batting and fold the sari back over onto itself. Try and make the batting wider than the sari. Make sure the edges are lined up underneath the batting! Layers can shift and you can end up with an angled edge (an un-fun surprise for when you're ready to trim and bind your quilt!)

Next, baste your quilt. This is to secure the layers together, so they don't move during the quilting process. I used pins to baste my quilt.

And then it's on to quilting! If you're not quite ready to quilt the layers together, then you can fold and store it away until you're ready. This is why it is crucial to secure your layers through basting.

For the quilting, I stuck with machine quilting straight lines instead of something more intricate. I spaced my line 2" apart and changed the setting on my sewing machine to the longest stitch length. Try using a walking foot or even feed foot to make sure the stitches are nice and even without any bunching. Because of the drape and weave of the fabric, less dense quilting will allow for a softer drape of the final quilt. You could even try hand quilting!

I started quilting from the folded edge (remember, the sari is folded over in thirds!), but I found that my batting moved ever so slightly, so I probably won't do it that way again. Once you're finished with the quilting, we'll move on to the binding of the quilt. If this is new for you, I strongly recommend reading my post on Binding your Quilt. This has helpful tips on how long to cut your binding and how to prepare it.

As I was already using sentimental fabric for my quilt, I decided to go with sentimental binding as well - why not, right? Pre-loved is just so very special! I made the binding from one of my mother's old nighties. As it was from a stitched garment, it was a bit tricky to get the binding strips to be straight, but thankfully it all worked together without too much hassle! Typically, I only use diagonal seams for attaching my binding, so the seam bulk is distributed along the diagonal and the seams don't bunch up in one spot in my binding. But this time I used straight seems. Because of the fabric of the garment, there was no added bulk at the seams in my finished quilt, even with my straight seams. Press and fold your binding lengthwise to prepare it for sewing.

Trim the quilt before adding the binding. Because the quilt is more or less the same on both sides, there isn't a clearly defined quilt top or quilt back. I stitched the binding on to one of the sides, fold over and hand sew it in place on the other side.

For more information on attaching binding, please check out my blog post about binding basics.

And there you have it! A gorgeous, super unique, sari quilt, soft and special!