Rock Star Monkey for Dean is finished!

Well, it was a pell mell, hellbound for leather rush to the finish but Rock Star Monkey is done! In October, my sisters and I decided that Mom Long's 80th birthday was a cause for celebration so a party was planned for November 10th. A trip to Chicago was then planned and as I love to give my quilt gifts in person, it was imperative that I have this quilt done by the 10th. The center was done by the end of October and as I put the monkey cross stitch borders on, I realized the top and bottom borders were two monkeys short - one on each end. So I shipped the quilt top back to Becky in Plano with an urgent request for monkey stitching. Her husband, Todd had just returned from a year's deployment to Africa so she, who once had had plenty of alone time to cross stitch, now had a spouse at home again. She did stitch them for me quite speedily and by November 1st, I had the top back in my hot little hands. George was at a conference by this time for a few days and I was heavily involved in the re-election campaign of President Obama (God be praised!) as I had been all spring and summer so time was NOT in abundance. I pinned the quilt on November 1st (the back was all ready to go), pulling a late night to get it done. On Friday and Saturday nights, November 2 and 3, I quilted late into the night (til 4 AM on Sunday, November 4th). It was finished and bound by Sunday and I started stitching on the photographs on the back on Monday. We re-elected the President on Tuesday - no sewing that day as I worked at Obama HQ til midnight. We rested on Wednesday (that means you still go to work and you sew till 2 AM)and then on Thursday, we left for Chicago. I stitched the handquilting on the cross stitch borders in the car as we drove west and put on the buttons Saturday morning of the party. Whew! made it!

Here are some pictures of the details.

The birthday party for my mom was lovely. Denise and I each made toasts. We waited til after the birthday part was over to give the quilt. Here are some family pictures of that!

Two firsts occurred with this quilt: I put the location of the quilt's creation on the back for the first time (Greensburg, PA and Plano, TX) and the very young recipient clearly indicated his feelings about the gift - Dean clapped! The back of the quilt reads: "This quilt was made for Robert Dean Mitchum III, born December 10, 2011 who is definitely not a monkey but might possibly be a Rock Star by his Great Aunt Ginnie and his Second Cousin Becky who, when they are not quilting and cross stitching are often spotted eating ice cream!" More pictures of details:

More pictures: