Safe keeping

You’ve flaunted your exquisite handloom sari, shawl or kurta at a wedding and it’s now time to pack it up. Stop right there: not before you wrap it in a muslin cloth. Kalsi recommends using unstarched, washed muslin or acid-free tissue paper. “Never use old newspapers. They are highly acidic and destroy the fabric’s strength, besides running the risk of the ink bleeding onto the handloom piece.”

Most revivalists and archivists, Kaul explains, store the saris, shawls and running weaves rolled on rods. “If you have the space, this is far better than folding them.” Shah says that the muslin prevents the zari from being oxidised and helps preserve its sheen and works well for pashminas, too.

But rolling and storing demands the luxury of space. If space is a constraint, Kalsi has a few suggestions. “Change the folds of the fabric at least every quarter. If you can’t avoid stacking, put the heavier saris and apparel at the bottom and lighter ones on top. Hanging is better than stacking, and padded hangers are preferable. One can also have narrower shelves made, which allows the weight to be better distributed.” She also recommends ceramic-coated steel almirahs over iron ones, and teak-wood almirahs over plywood ones.

Napthalene balls are taboo. To prevent infestation, the experts suggest small pouches of dried tobacco leaves, dried neem leaves, dried lavender or even a little camphor. Kalsi adds that a small packet of activated charcoal can absorb pollutants in the air and prevent silver-based threads in textiles from being tarnished.