Helen Hazon – Country – Architecture
Inspiration – Small houses in parts of Gujarat and a beautifully simple stepwell in Rajasthan.
When thinking about Indian architecture, large and ornate buildings like the Taj Mahal, Amber Fort, Hindu temples and Islamic mosques come to mind. I considered these as possible inspiration for this theme but then decided to look at much simpler styles.
When we travelled in NW India we visited many small communities in the Kutch area of Gujarat where villagers live in simple houses, made of mud and straw but many are beautifully decorated inside and out. A great example of making the most of what they have. (Search Kutch houses)
We also discovered ancient stepwells. We had never previously heard of these but they were used widely in the desert states as a means of reaching water a long way below the surface. Some are wonderfully ornate but I particularly liked the simplicity of one in a village next to the Amber Fort, just outside Jaipur. (Panna Meena Ka Kund)
In my quilt I have stitched a decorated house and some lines of the repeating step patterns in the stepwell.
All materials are cotton. All embroidery is by hand. Simple machine quilting in invisible thread.
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
Love it! What a great way of interpreting two completely different architectural styles in one. I remember that step well so clearly. Your use of colour and stitch for the Kutch house is beautiful and really brings it to life.
This challenge series is interesting because it lets us know differents countries and their uses and costumes. You have inserted two construction together. You have well embroidered the decorations of the Kutch house, and the addition of the stepwell complete perfectly your quilt. Well done.
Beautiful little house, I love the way you embroidered the design of the colorful tiles. Integrating the stepwells is so clever and effective. Bravo
Love the simplicity of your work and adore your hand embroidery . The photo of the ancient stepwells are great.
Clever interpretation of the theme. The kutch house is lovely and the suggestion of the stepwell looks like a niche around it.
I remember this stepwells near Amber fort !
Clever approach interpreting two arquitectural styles in one. The Kutch dwelling is beautifully embroidered and the insinuation of the step well imagery works perfectly together. Well done!
A simple design but beautifully reendered by the hand stitching, which reflects the deign of teh houses themselves. I like the way that you have incorporated the step deisgn around the house. Well done
Very nice to incorporate two architectural styles into one. The hand stitching of the house is very beautiful as well as the colours of the threads used. Thanks for including your pictures, they are amazing. Very clever step well imagery around the house, as if framing it. Well done!
How nice you used a “simple” house instead of one of the large famous buildings. Lovely how you made the combination of two different styles in your design. The hand embroidery is perfect as always.
The simplicity of the design is beautifully enhanced by the exquiite hand stitching. By combining the two styles into one lovely comosition, you have created a very moving piece.
Love the rich decoration on the very simple house. So good you didn’t stitch Taj Mahal because this way we can learn much more about this interesting country, great job!
So interesting to learn about all the different cultures. Your hand embroidery is exquisite and what a creative idea to add the stepwells in a simple, but very effective design.