#24 SARI QUILT

The first recorded reference to the sari occurs in a 5000 year old legend from India told in the Mahabharat.  It is the story of the beautiful Draupadi - wife of the Pandavas - who was lost to an enemy clan in a gambling duel. When this happened, the Lord Krishna promised to protect her virtue.  So, when the evil victors attempted to grab Draupadi they caught one end of the diaphanous material that draped her so demurely, yet seductively.  They continued to pull and unravel the cloth but could never reach the end.

Traditionally, the sari is made out of six yards of material that allows for generous pleating and draping around the body and over the shoulder. The diversity of the Indian people is reflected in a variety of materials used for a sari and the way it is draped in different parts of the country.  It could be made of shimmering silk or the finest gauzy cotton; a pastel-hued solid color or a riot of woven flowers. The sari is considered an Indian woman's statement to the world.