UNIQUE INITIATIVE
PATOLA HOUSE: THE GENESIS
The idea of setting up a museum to showcase
the legacy of Patan patolas was mooted by
the family, having been established in 2014.
On the ground floor is a space exhibiting a
variety of single and double ikats, while the
floor above offers an outlet to purchase patola
saris, dupattas, pocket squares and scarves. It
is regarded as the only museum in the world to
showcase an elaborate spectrum of single and
double ikat textiles, patolas and a live weaving
demonstration by a master weaver.
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THE YARN STORY
The Salvis use pure, natural dyes for their yarns.
For instance, the colour red is obtained from lac,
orange from manjistha, blue from indigo, and
yellow from turmeric and pomegranate. These
I APPAREL I
June 2019
primary colours are further used to derive
other shades.
Given the laborious process of resist-dyeing
and weaving cotton yarns, weavers turn to silk
yarns, which demand equal effort but also bring
in better monetary returns. These yarns are resist-
dyed at a unit which is at a short distance from
Patola House. The yarns are made of Chinese
mulberry silk, and their usage can be traced back
to the Silk Route, when traders from India would
carry spices and other products in exchange for
silk yarns from China.
THE LOOM
Stepping in through the porch of Patola House,
one sees a large loom with warp yarns stretched
across it to the right, where two members of the
Salvi family will invariably be engrossed in weaving
(as weaving of patolas involves two weavers).
Interestingly, the loom is slightly slanted—with
the left side being lower than the right—allowing
the shuttle to pass through smoothly during the
process. At the time of weaving, the warp and
weft yarns have to be adjusted with just the right
amount of tension in order to expose neat motifs.
A long needle is used to adjust the tension of
these yarns.
PATOLA HOUSE IS REGARDED
TO BE THE ONLY MUSEUM IN
THE WORLD TO SHOWCASE
AN ELABORATE SPECTRUM OF
DOUBLE IKAT TEXTILES.