Sari Bari Beautiful

Friends of needle & thREAD already know Beth, whose sewing posts are jam-packed with inspiration. One of Beth's big projects every year is the Sari Bari Quilt Auction. Today, in addition to the scrumptious eye candy she's sharing with her fabulous pictures, Beth shares the words of Sarah Lance, director of Sari Bari in India, who tells us about a truly beautiful movement to liberate women from unimaginable suffering.

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Sari Bari is in the business of making things new. We take cast off saris, the traditional dress of the Indian woman, and stitch them together in the kantha style of Bengal, a simple running quilt stitch done by hand. We piece and patch and layer to create beautiful, unique quilts. We are lovers of transformation and are exhilarated by the unique possibilities and potential within each sari to create something new.

More profoundly we are interested in the potential and possibilities of the women who make the products of Sari Bari. These women have found their way to freedom from the sex trade through employment at Sari Bari, where they find an opportunity for a different kind of work and a different kind of life. Sari Bari provides a safe place to be restored; to receive training as a quilt artisan, educational support, support for dependants, and retirement and health insurance. At Sari Bari not only are saris are uniquely transformed, but the women themselves emerge from the broken reality of lives as sex workers, to empowerment, healing and a way forward - truly a difficult … and a beautiful process.

 

This year Sari Bari has engaged the talented quilt artisans of Sari Bari in Kolkata, India together with quilters of all skill levels from around the world to create a unique collection for the 2013 Sari Bari Quilt Auction and Raffle.  The auction will be held at www.saribari.com from November 1 to November 10, 2013. Each quilt is stitched from either new or recycled saris. The quilts produced by Sari Bari women are made from recycled saris in our traditional 5 layer style. The other quilts reflect each of their creators, using a variety of design choices, patterns, and construction techniques.

 

In addition to the auction, we will conduct a raffle this year, giving everyone a chance to own one of these amazing quilts. For only $20-$30 you can purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the unique quilts for freedom. You will be able purchase your raffle ticket for the quilt you choose via www.saribari.com

How to participate:

You may place bids and purchase raffle tickets at saribari.com at any time between 5:00pm November 1 and 4:59pm November 10, 2013. Winners will be announced November 11, 2013.

If you’d like to make a direct donation to the work of Sari Bari, visit www.saribari.com/donate. All gifts are tax-deductible.

All proceeds from the auction and raffle will go toward supporting Sari Bari’s ongoing freedom work which will include:

• Purchasing a property in the Kalighat red light area so we can employ more women for freedom

• Opening our second prevention unit in 2014 in an area that is notorious for trafficking young girls and women into the sex trade

• Training for at least 50 more women who are waiting to choose freedom

We are so grateful for your interest in and support for the freedom work of Sari Bari and the women whose lives are profoundly changed.

This is truly nothing short of miraculous. Take just a minute to watch--it's breathtaking.