A Swati Shahtoosh shawl in deep navy, left plain across the whole field and framed on all four sides by a hand-embroidered border in antique gold, copper, rose and pale blue, with a large paisley set into each corner and a scalloped inner edge that runs the length of the shawl.
Block-printed, then embroidered by hand
The design does not go straight onto the cloth. It is first printed on with carved wooden blocks — an outline in washable ink that maps every vine, leaf and petal the embroiderer will follow. The blocks themselves are cut by a separate craftsman and a workshop may use the same set for decades.
The embroiderer then works the design by hand over that printed line. The ink washes out at the end, leaving only thread. It is worth understanding what this does and does not mean: the block guarantees the placement is even and the borders match corner to corner, but every stitch, every colour change and all the shading is still done by hand, one needle at a time. A printed shawl would be finished at the printing stage. This one is where the work begins.
A plain field and a worked edge
The whole design sits at the edge. The field is left as it came off the loom, so what you notice first is the cloth itself — the fine self-coloured lattice in the weave and the way navy takes the light. The border does the decorating: warm metallic tones against a cold, deep blue, which is why this piece reads formal without being loud.
Navy is the easiest of our dark colours to wear. It sits with black, grey, cream and denim alike, and the gold in the border picks up jewellery rather than fighting it.
Details
- Swati Shahtoosh — woven in Swat, KPK
- Hand-embroidered border on all four sides with corner paisleys; plain field
- Design block-printed first, then embroidered by hand
- Approx. 40" × 80"
- Dry clean only — store folded and away from direct light
Each shawl is embroidered by hand, so slight variation between pieces is expected and is the mark of hand work rather than a fault.
Ships in Attan's branded box with a thank-you card, ready to gift.
