Sari Bari: March 2007

Monday, March 12, 2007

More sari bags for your review

we are going to start making bags and will try to have them ready for sale in june 2007. we are going to choose three styles and see how those sell before exanding much futher. probably 2 short handled bags and one long handled bags. we will probably name the bags after the ladies for instance "the basanti". let us know what you think of these.

the colors of sari bari

Thursday, March 01, 2007

the power of a paycheck

yesterday was the first of the month...payday for sari bari. And the end of the first month of our 7 ladies in training. they got their first paycheck...or really just their first training supplement. And their response was suprising to me and so beautiful. each one of them had a similar reponse...pride! Good pride...that kind that reminds you that are valuable and can do something to make a difference in your own circumstance. They knew from a simple paycheck that their work has value, that they have value. and while we know their value is not in their ability to work...it is step in the right direction for these women to be empowered. for most of them this was their first payday ever from a real job...their words not mine. one lady said from my own trouble i earned this money. i wanted to cry. i am sold out on giving people jobs as a means for empowerment. a job does what a hand out can not...it gives hope and belief in self. these new ladies are so amazing and i am so so proud of them!!

Sari Bari India

The faces of Sari Bari are many and the stories are heartbreaking. Sari Bari is the women of Kalighat's and Sonagacchi's red light areas who have taken the brave step into a new life. Life at Sari bari holds the promise of diginity, respect, and way of life that was never before possible for many of these women.

What is a Sari Blanket?

The Sari Blanket is not a new idea. What we call a Sari Blanket in India and Bangladesh is called Katha (K-aa-th-a) and has ben made for generations in the villages and slums of india. Poor women would save their old and worn out Sari’s and stitch them together with a small tight stitch called the Katha stitch and that is ultimately where the blankets received their name. The resourceful poor took something old and made it new. They took an old Sari and made something beautiful and useful to their families. We hope for a similar transformation in the lives of women working at Sari Bari.

How is it made?

The Sari Blanket is made out five layers of Saris. We too take the old and make it new by using old vintage saris from all over India for not only the outside but the inside of our blankets. The five layers of Sari’s are then stitched together with a stitch called Katha, basically a simple quilting stitch. It’s length is a little less than half the length of a full Sari and measures at approximately 80 inches long. Each blanket is put together by hand and then hand stitched. Each Sari Blanket is unique and there are no two blankets exactly alike. Additionally, each woman has own unique style and stitch which means each blanket varies slightly within the quality standards of Sari Bari.
Sari Bari is not just selling you a beautiful handmade vintage Sari Blanket we are selling you a story. A story that we want you tell you friends and family…a story of new life, a story of freedom, a story that means hope in one of the world most hopeless places.
Each blanket has a name…the name of a woman whose freedom you are now apart of with your purchase of a Sari Blanket.