The wonder of Sari’s

Smita, a member of Wellington Quilters, introduced Sutapa, another Smita, and her daughter Shreesha. Sutapa gave an engaging presentation on the sari - its origins in the Indus Valley, its history, and the variations over time. She explained that the sari was traditionally worn without a blouse or petticoat, a practice that changed during British rule to meet the modesty standards of the era.

Sutapa’s relationship with the sari changed when taking her Mum out for a fancy dinner. Her Mum wore a sari, and while Sutapa initially was embarrassed thinking it wasn’t nice dress for the restaurant everyone’s positive reaction -and her Mum’s insistence- won out.

She highlighted the many embellishment techniques used in saris, including embroidery, sequins, beading, appliqué, crystals, and mirror work, all of which were evident in the stunning and diverse collection of saris on display.

There was a beautiful 9 yard sari worn by Smita, which she wore wrapped around her legs like pants. We were bamboozled to learn you can go bungy jumping in this type of sari since it’s so secure, but horse riding is a more common use. Smita’s daughter, Shreesha, wore a version for children with less wrapping needed.

The presentation included a slideshow and short videos, followed by two quizzes: one testing listening skills from the talk, and another where members paired up to match sari types from the display with descriptions and photos on a quiz sheet. Prizes were awarded to the winners. It was an informative and enjoyable way to celebrate our end-of-year Christmas meeting.

We also had a wonderful show and tell to finish the year.