Some words cause us to think Luxury, and Pashmina is one of them.  Pashmina is the Indian/Persian word for cashmere and is derived from the Kashmir region of India.  Wherever it comes from, it is soft, very expensive and always very chic.  Photos courtesy of boutiquejewel.

Pashmina comes from the Capra Hircus goat which lives above 14,000 feet where temperatures are around minus 30 degrees centigrade in the winters.  The fiber is from the underbelly down, producing only about 3 ounces of wool each year.  Obviously, not a lot of it can be harvested annually, and spinning it requires patience and dedication.  This yarn must be hand woven and hand dyed due to its fragile nature. 

Some shawls may include silk, which is usually woven with silk running the length of the weave and cashmere running the width of the fabric.   If, on the other hand, you find a shawl that is ‘faux pashmina,' you probably have a rayon product that will do an excellent job of pretending to be more expensive and is a lot easier to care for.

Pashmina must be dry cleaned and I advise you know your dry cleaner well; some have the ability to clean special garments, and some, well, not so much. 

A few other hints are:

• Do not wear your garment daily; allow it to rest two or three days between wearing.
• Do not wear your garment next to rough clothing, necklaces, belts, even purses, (That is why you see women carrying clutch purses when photographed.) etc. Rough items can cause abrasion and pilling will result. If that were to happen, you can use your Peggy's Stitch Eraser to remove the pilling.
• Always clean your garment before storage and be sure to protect it from light, damp places and dust. Fold the garment with tissues and protect it with an appropriate moth repellent.

My garment, on the other hand, is rayon.  It is very lovely just the same and I am taking good care of it as well. 

Items I am using:

• Shawl, mine is 34" by 109", not including the fringe
• For my heirloom design, I chose Vintage Lace because I wanted to have an elegant look
• Madeira Rayon Thread and Bobbin Thread
• A fresh #70/11 Metallic Needle. or Economy Size Pack of Needles 
• ATG, Water Soluble, Adhesive Stabilizer
• Badgemaster Stabilizer
• Placement Ruler
• A brayer
• Seam Ripper

I placed my Badgemaster into my hoop and covered it with the ATG Water Soluble, Adhesive Stabilizer.  My design is large and I placed the stabilizers only into the machine and used the ‘trace' feature as shown.  I wanted to be sure that my center point in the hoop was aligned with the center point on my shawl.  Use of the crayon worked because I could shorten it easily. 

That ruler is terrific because it gives you exactly the center point and if needed, can be folded for smaller hooping.   

I also made careful note of the place within my machine's layout because I was planning on placing two, each on opposite corners and wanted them to be in the same place.

Here I have stripped away the cover protecting the adhesive on the ATG stabilizer.  I left the cross hair point to match to the placement on the fabric.

I have lightly finger pressed the fabric down while I prepare to place it exactly on the cross on the stabilizer and finger pressed it down on the adhesive.

Next, I use my brayer to adhere the fabric to the stabilizer.   Nothing is going to be more evenly pressed or stronger than the brayer press results.

I am using a fresh needle, great design and checked my hoop to be sure it will not ‘bump' into anything.  This is a large design.

The finished product is so elegant that I will be pleased to wear this light but warm wrap to any event. 

I know that AnnTheGran is looking into stocking the padmina - please let me know if you would be interested in purchasing some of the Rayon Pashmina Shawls such as in this photo, and I'll pass the message on.  It appears that they would sell for $19.95.