No, You're Not Seeing Double!!

I recently stumbled across some on-line photos of Anke's Mrs. Waddelow's Huswif.  Anke, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, stitched this design twice--once for herself and once as a gift.  I asked Anke if she would send me photos and a write-up about her huswifs that I could share with you.

As you see, Anke definitely thought out of the box.  Not only did she change the stitching from a single color to many lovely cheerful ones, she also picked lively lining fabrics.  I love it when needleworkers take a design and do their own interpretation. I always consider a chart the "jumping off spot".  Anke, you saw something you liked in the design, but then changed it to make it "your own".

Anke wrote, It all started when I came across the Stripes & Dots line of dress fabrics at Spotlight in August, i.e the tail end of winter, 2010. These are not at all the colours I usually go for but must have had a need for bright colours after all those grey winter days.

Made two side by side. Used the same materials though for different parts. They are stitched with HDF silk floss: Wrasse Green 3317 -one darker and the other one lighter due to different dyelots-, Lilac Mist 2143, Gold Rush 4229, Sea Pinks 1349, Yonder Blue 2213, Tart’s Knickers 1125, Gold Rush 4235 and Examplar Cocoa Bear on tinted ~32ct HDF linen. Made a few minor changes to the design to better suit the style it had morphed into and hope you don't mind that I did. 

Anke also wrote, Went a bit overboard with the embellishments on mine, attaching a vintage glass bead and button found at an op shop, a bow made from patterned ribbon and a pair of Barbie doll scissors rescued from the vacuum cleaner to the pockets. The other one has just a ribbon bow for now... maybe. Hadn't come across any brightly coloured plastic rings which would have suited it better during all that time and used glass rings that had been sold as jewellery making supplies.

Didn't enjoy working on these two quite as much but that was because of the choices I'd made and not the design and certainly not the finsihing instructions.  They are as excellent as each and every one of yours I've had the pleasure to have done.  And the way this huswif is finished is a pure joy to do.  

Thanks, Anke, for letting me showcase your work and also for your kind words.  Your stitching and finishing skills are excellent, and it was fun to see the lively fabrics you used!  I hope that others, after seeing your work, will also begin to think out of the box.