I do not like to excercise

My mother always said you should not hate. Well redundant exercise comes close. I mean a big soft chair, good light, an empty canvas and a needle…you see where I am going. But my husband, the Redhead drags me to the gym every morning so we can walk around in circles, this is in an effort to keep me healthy.  I’m just not so sure…..

But healthy is a necessity for my oldest daughter and her family. She is type 1 diabetic and her husband, Dutch is lactose intolerant, so they have chosen the Paleo lifestyle. Eating right and getting enough exercise is paramount for them and my grandchildren, Davis and Dylan (Madam Crazy Hair). Dutch owns his own gym in their hometown. He is an Olympic weight lifter and we are all very proud of him and his accomplishments, plus the job he does training others in this pursuit.

But just because we differ in our thoughts on rote exercise, we are not at odds on much else. Dutch is the best Dad my two grand kids could of ever had. AND he has to take care Meggie, a VERY big endeavor…we sure don’t want to lose Dutch. So when my children have gotten married and changed their last name, that is when I feel that things are solid enough to put forth the big effort and make a “son-in-law” stocking.

Dutch loves to fly fish. Something I also like to do, but neither of us really have enough spare time for. But that made deciding on the perfect stocking rather easy. Of course, another Liz Goodrick Dillon piece, this Fly fishing Santa was easy for me to stitch. Santa’s coat is more maroon than red (a nod to Dutch’s time at Texas A&M) and embellished with real flies (hooks removed).

Santa is heading home to Mrs. Claus with dinner in tow. The early evening sky in this canvas was a big challenge for me, I wanted the essence of a true New Mexico sky at dusk. This called for a lot of overdyed blues with pale purple. Combinations of Waterlilies by Caron Collection,  Silk ‘n Colors from Thread Gatherer and a lot of patience.More overdyed threads with the creel. Impressions by Caron Collection done in Lazy Roman. Plus more “reel” flies. It was very entertaining for the Redhead to explain to clerks at quaint little fly shops why I wanted flies that did not match what was biting that season…….

This was also the first time that I tried open work stitching. More overdyed thread in a T stitch over the rocks. It looks like I spent hours dealing with shading, when I just let it show through.

Love ya, Dutch!!

To do this stocking for yourself or loved one please click here for the pasttimesneedlepoint.com or call us at 361.572.0088. We would love to oblige.