The Kashmir valley, now a war torn region, used to be a natural paradise. Full of flowers and maple trees, this northern region of India has some of the most exquisite craft work. Check out the floral embroidery from Kashmir on shawls scarves. But shawls are the most popular embroidered item in cool Kashmir. Some are embroidered with such skill that the pattern appears perfectly on both sides of the shawl. These are called 'dorakkhas'. Kashmir Shawl have unique charm. Floral patterns in multi color are embroidered on solid color wool fabric. This makes the shawls very colorful, yet never too loud. Thus aesthetically, these are perhaps the finest looking shawls made in India. Women of all ages, young and old, love to wear them.
Kashmir valley, a natural paradise, full of flowers and maple trees, produces the best hand embroidery work. Artisans draw inspirations from the beautiful nature around. The boteh (flower) or ambia (mango) motifs are the most favored one of the Kashmir designers. The colors used are those of the flowers of the valley. An emphasis on pastel and white shades on a white background is always preferred. Fine embroidery work is done in shades discreetly blending with the background shades. Very seldom one finds a combination of more than two embroidery styles on one object. The stitches are so typical of the region that they are frequently termed as the Kashmiri Stitch. Kashmiri embroidery is remarkable for the skilled execution of a single stitch rather than the elaborate quality of the stitch itself. Chain stitch, satin stitch, the slanted darn stitch, stem, herringbone or sometimes the doori or knot stitches are used.
The excellence of the needlework is most remarkable in the creation of a dorukha or a double-sided shawl. In this shawl, there is no right and wrong side. The same design is produced in different colors on both sides. The price of a shawl depends on the amount of embroidery done on it.
