Real silk - and not too expensive!

[CarolAnn]

I just discovered antique silk sarees (saris) on ebay. They've about 5 yards of pure silk and some sell for about $10. Even with shipping, that's cheap silk! I've ordered a few - so soon I'll know if I have made a great deal on some blouse fabric, or if I've paid for some threadbare rags!

One was a yellow and purple paisley wedding sari and the close-up showed some lovely embroidery so the silk is probably very heavy & still good, although it's 50 years old!

Have you ever bought fabric this way?

[fizzle7033]

I haven't bought antique saris but I have purchased some bulk new saris and loved them. Made really pretty pillows and things. I'm sure you will love them!

[CarolAnn]

All the saris I ordered have arrived. Some came like a shot by air freight and the rest came in little hand-sewn cloth bags, covered with lovely postage stamps from India - and it took them almost a month to arrive.

It was worth the wait! The heavily embroidered one looks like every bit of the pattern was embroidered by hand and the silk is as thin and fragile as a mosquito wing. There is NO way I will be cutting up this antique to make anything, but I'm still glad I've got it. The rest of the saris have plenty of good, usable fabric in them.

These will make: curtains for a bedroom, suit linings, scarves, throw pillow covers, and most likely a few doll clothes out of the scraps! One piece arrived stinky - it was the dye and when I washed it in some woolite, both the smell and a lot of the dye came out! There's no noticeable change in the color, it was just excess dye. This was an extra piece that I didn't order - they put it in because there was a tear in one of the old ones and they wanted me to be happy with their service.

When I've got some things made up, I'll post pictures.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

That sounds wonderful! I use to go to the quarter sales at GoodWill to buy old silk clothing to cut up to make things, but never had the amount of fabric you are getting in a sari.