About this product:
Here you can browse our colourful range of beautiful sari silk ribbons. This recycled fabric is absolutely gorgeous to rag rug with and adds lustre and vibrancy to any project. To see sari silk rag rugged up, check out my mum's original short shaggy Sari Silk Ribbon Rag Rug here.
What is Sari Silk Ribbon?
Originating from South Asia, a "sari" is a long piece of often brightly coloured and embroidered, silk, cotton, or synthetic cloth. It is generally worn by women as an outer garment, where it is wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, partly showing the midriff.
Sari silk ribbon is crafted from the remnants of sari material that is either left over from creating full saris, or from saris that are no longer wearable. These beautiful offcuts are hand crafted into one long continuous strip of silk fabric that can be used for rag rugging and other textile crafts.
Why Sari Silk Ribbon is great:
We've been trying to get our hands on some ethically-sourced sari silk ribbon for quite a while now for all the reasons below...
1) Silk is wonderful quality and looks amazing. As a fabric, silk is vibrant and rich in colour and texture. Its natural glow elevates any rag rug design or textile project. Silk will always be the star of the show and quality fabric lasts.
2) Sari silk ribbon comes pre-cut into strips, which saves time cutting. Sari silk ribbon is the perfect width for rug hooking using the loopy technique.
3) It's recycled. We're giving these offcuts a new lease of life and using them to create something both beautiful and practical.
4) Sari silk ribbon is light in weight, which makes it the perfect material for pictorial wall hangings, cushions, bouquets and more. It holds its shape very well, so makes beautiful 3D flowers.
5) Sari silk ribbon has wonderful texture. The frayed edges and handmade nature of the sari silk ribbon add interest and texture to your rag rugging with no extra effort.
6) Sari silk is never a flat colour. Each skein has lighter or darker hues and interesting accents. These add interest to your rag rugging with no extra work.
7) Sari silk ribbon can be used for all sorts of crafts. Knitting, crochet, weaving, appliqué, textile art... you can really get creative with it!
How is it sold?
Our Ragged Life Sari Silk Ribbon is sold in 100g twisted "skeins". Each skein is made up of one long strip of silk fabric that measures 50-55 metres in length. As the ribbon is made up of recycled offcuts of varying lengths, strips are often stitched or carefully knotted together to create one long continuous strand. The strip may vary in width and finish due to its handmade nature, but this will never compromise your rag rugging.
Notes on Colours:
None of our sari silk ribbons are a homogenous, flat colour. They've been hand dyed with eco-friendly dyes and often feature the off speck of another colour. Sometimes they have embellishment or pattern from the saris themselves (embroidered flowers, small tassels etc...) These variations in colour and texture make your rag rugging look even better!
We've photographed all our sari silk ribbons in natural light, but different devices display colours differently, so read on below for a one line description of each colour.
Lemon: A soft, pale yellow with a lemony tint.
Sunshine Yellow: A warm, nautical yellow. Evokes the sun.
Buttercup Yellow: A slightly richer, more golden yellow.
Ochre: A warm, mustard tinted yellow with hints of saffron.
Pumpkin Patch: A rich rusty orange with hints of green and rose red.
Sunrise: A pinky, terracotta colour with streaks of pumpkin patch.
Rose Red: A pink tinged red.
Raspberry: A very bright pink / red blend.
Merlot: The shade of a full-bodied red wine.
Chestnut Brown: A slightly purple brown with hints of mauve.
Caramel: The colour of a delicious milky coffee.
Light Tan: A very light tan colour.
Cornish Cream: A warm, yellow cream.
Pearl: A bright off-white.
Antique Pink: A light, aged pink with notes of silver.
Coral: The warm pink of fan coral with earthy tones.
Blush Pink: An earthy mediterranean terrace-style shade of pink.
Dusk Pink: A dusty pink and light purple blend.
Ballet Slipper Pink: A classic pastel pink.
Dahlia Pink: A pink / purple magenta colour that spans the two colours.
Fuchsia Pink: A bright, jewel pink.
Perfect Purple: A rich shade of deep purple with violet hints.
Pink to Purple: A transitional shade of purple with a mix of pink and blue tones.
Lilac: A classic lilac colour with blue notes of wisteria.
Hint O'Green: A light, celery green.
Spring Shoot Green: A mix of bright, citrus green and ivory.
Lime Green: The colour of vibrant lime.
Emerald Green: A bright, grass green.
Forest Green: A darker, almost racing green.
Midsummer: A slightly darker green with purple and grey notes.
The Wild Wood: Forest green with gorgeous highlights of plum purple.
Turquoise: A bright turquoise green / blue jewel colour.
Lagoon: A deep, rich teal colour.
Aqua Blue: A classic mediterranean blue.
Azure Blue: A darker shade of French blue with lilac highlights.
French Blue: A light, cornflower blue with silver notes.
Bold Blue: A deep, royal blue with hints of dark green.
Light Duck Egg: A silvery green / blue duck egg colour.
Seafoam: A deeper shade of light duck egg. An aquamarine green / blue.
Baby Blue: A crisp light blue.
Antique Blue: A light, silvery blue with an aged appearance.
Midnight Blue: A dark navy blue / violet shade.
Calm Waters: A variegated mix of blues, turquoise and lilac.
Elephant's Breath: A silvery, pale grey with soft touches of light lilac.
Stone Grey: A classic slate grey.
Amethyst: A magical mix of grey, blue and purple.
Inky Night: A slate grey / purple blend.
Sari Silk Ribbon Colour Bundles:
As well as selling our Sari Silk Ribbons individually, the Ragged Life team have pulled together bundles of colours that complement each other, so you can buy ready-made colour schemes to complete your project. Browse these bundles here.
How much do I need?
We're still at the beginning of our sari silk ribbon journey, so haven't yet worked out the precise amount of sari silk ribbon needed to make projects in all the rag rug techniques. However, as our sari silk ribbons are hand dyed together by colour in one batch, we are generally able to match up colours if you do run out (unlike our 100% Woollen Blanket Yarn).
However, if you think you may run out partway through a project, please order sooner rather than later, as there can be colour differences between different dyed batches. That's one of the quirks of such artisanal fabrics unfortunately.
