Inspiration – the flag of the country and two symbols representing life there.

My chosen country is one that I have visited several times and that I really like. Life there is so very different from what I am used to: very colourful, so much to see and always lots to learn about the people and their customs.

This is, of course, incredible India. I have enjoyed seven holidays in this amazing country, visiting many wonderful sites and also learning about the textiles and embroidery techniques that are traditional in different regions, in cities and in very rural communities.

In my series this year I will be using the same background fabric for all 6 pieces, I will be hand stitching as much as possible using traditional Indian embroidery styles as inspiration.

My design for this first piece takes the Indian flag as one main element and as the source of the orange, green and blue colour scheme for the stitching. I have also included the symbol for Om (or Aum) and the glorious peacock as particularly important motifs in Indian life.

The background fabric was bought in a cloth market in central Mumbai and hand dyed by me to reflect my memories of visiting printers and dyers using indigo in rural Gujarat. All the embroidery was done by hand and quilting was kept to a minimum. The embroidery in this piece is inspired by the Kantha technique. All fabrics and embroidery threads are cotton, quilting is in synthetic “invisible” thread.

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