Currently

I'm working on another Circle Around quilt...

this one from Wee Woodland and Bella Solid in Weathered Teak by Moda and a light tangerine solid that I think is a Benatex fabric called Butternut....my mom picked out these fabrics and they are perfect...very fallish and warm...it's going to be a really great quilt and really big since I loved all the fabrics so much I just couldn't not include any...

I also recently had a birthday and couldn't resist buying this with my birthday money...

fat quarter set of the sweptaway palette of Innocent Crush by Anna Marie Horner...she's a genius...I am so in love with these fabrics....not that I don't love every line she creates....but this is by far my favorite...I bought some yardage too, and I don't think it'll be the last of this line that I buy...I've drawn up a couple quilt ideas, and I'm still mulling over which one is right...

gotta go...game one is on...gotta cheer for the local boys....Go Rangers....put the claw on 'em!!!

On my machine...

is this cute quilt...

yep...more stippling...I was thinking of straight line quilting this one...but...well...yeah...

this quilt was made from an Origins by Basic Grey Jelly Roll and Kona Cotton in Ash....I really loved Origins when I first saw it...and it took me a little while to come up with the right idea to show off what first caught my eye about the line...the range of colors...so I played with it on my design wall for a few days...and then it seemed perfect when I decided to play up a striated spectrum quality....arranging the strips from white to yellow to green to brown to black...and the Ash solid seemed like the perfect neutral border since there's gray in some of the prints...

and in case you wanted to see the whole quilt top...

I snapped this right after I had basted it...and I really like the grays and greens in the quilt and in the background...so I couldn't resist including it...

well I'm off to finish this one up...

I fell in love...

with this mini quilt...

so when I saw the quilt along I was so pumped....and couldn't wait to jump in...

so I started cutting....and cutting...and cutting some more....it's a lot of 2 in squares...

here's my first completed block...

I made one minor change in my blocks...I have the black "stop" squares in the subway lines instead of off to the side like the original mini and the quilt along blocks...

Quiltin Around

Circle Around Plume
Originally uploaded by reddirtgirldesigns

So sorry to have been missing for so long...but my laptop decided to stop functioning....and work has been busy....and I have been doing a lot of sewing and quilting...

so the blogging got neglected....sorry...but now I'm back!!

I finished this quilt a little while ago...and I'm so in love with it....I'm using the cooler weather as an excuse to snuggle under this is every chance I get...

it's Julie's Circle Around quilt pattern...done in Plume by the fabulous Tula Pink with Bella Solid in Snow...and it's binding is Crossweave in Flamingo...

and let me tell you I love how smooth and soft the Crossweave is...and I'll be using it for binding on quilts in the future...

I had a hard time deciding how to quilt this one and decided on meandering outside the circles...gives it just enought crinkle and makes the back super cute with unquilted circles...

did I mention how much I love love love this quilt????

Winners

So the winners of the FQs of Love are Jennifer, Chelly, and Blacksheep Bliss (Amber)!!!!

Congrats ladies....send me your addresses and i'll get these sent out to ya'll!!

and thanks for following!!

It's a celebration!!

I couldn't be more excited....it's been a little over a year since I started blogging!!

and as if that isn't exciting enough...

LilFriend has decided to join me here at Red Dirt Girl Designs....so let me introduce ya'll to Amber....she's super talented, fun, and a great friend....she's decided to become a blogger....and after chatting about it a little we thought she should start here...that means more posts and a little more variety....and an easy way for her to get her bearings here in blogland....

she'll be doin' a little get-to-know-me post so ya'll can get to know her a little better...

to celebrate my blogiversary and Amber joining the fun it's giveaway time....

to show some LOVE I'm giving away a fat quarter each of these Amy Butler Love prints...

betcha want to know how to win right??

you'll have 3 chances to enter...

1. Leave us a comment...just a hello is fine or what you'll make with these beautiful FQs!!

2.  Follow us...and leave us a comment letting us know you are!!

3.  Blog about our giveaway...and come on back and leave a comment about it!!

the giveaway will be open til Friday September 3rd at Midnight CST....I'll announce the 2 lucky winners picked randomly on Saturday September 4th....please make sure you include an email address if you are a no-reply I'd hate for you to miss out because I can't contact you!!

American Harbor

As promised here is a finished quilt...

I showed off these blocks a while back....

LilFriend asked if I would make a quilt for her mom's birthday....her mom's most favorite color palette is red, white, and blue...

so what better fabric line to use than Bar Harbor....and then I found the perfect pattern...that I only adapted slightly....I've misplace the magazine...so I'll add a reference to it as soon as it's been located...

so here is American Harbor...

it's the biggest quilt I've quilted to date....its about 63 x 58....

a closer look....

the back...originally I was going to back in only in the blue....but it was just not quite right...it need the red, white, and blue...it was super windy when I was trying to get these photos...

it's quilted in loops...it is so super crinkly....lots of texture...

and best of all....she loves it!!!

Coming soon...

a finished quilt....and a giveaway to celebrate my blog's anniversary!!

So I went shopping...

I went to a quilt shop in McKinney that I had heard really good things about...

and I was not disappointed.....

Happiness is Quilting rocks!!!

and I went a little crazy....I almost bought out the store...

here's just a few of the goodies I got...

happy fun Frolic charm packs....

adorable castle peeps...

fat quarter bundle...aren't they yummy...

fat eights of Hope Valley....can't wait to use this...

and a fun quilt I couldn't resist after seeing it popping up all over blogland...

Julie's Circle Around quilt in Plume with Moda Bella solid in Snow...

Weekend Rewind

I got an unexpected visit from my mom and grandma this weekend...as their A/C was out and it was way too hot in the house to stay there...they figured if they were going to be out of the house...they might as well make a trip to see me....which was really nice...

on Saturday we took a trip up to Durant, OK to the Choctaw Casino for a little slot machine fun and to check out the new resort...which looks pretty amazing....and the pool area looks super awesome...and I didn't lose any money...I left with what I went in with which for me is unusual....

After they headed back this morning, I started working on a project that has a deadline....I've got a month or so to finish it....and it's out of a great fabric line Bar Harbor and a super cute pattern....

here's the beginnings of the blocks.....the colors and pattern are so cute.....can't wait to finish this one up!!

Well Read Wednesday 2

the book for this week is a book by Jennifer Weiner....

if you haven't read anything by her...you should....

do you remember the movie a few years ago with Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine? In Her Shoes? That's based on a book by the same name by Jennifer Weiner...

she writes great emotion and humor in her books....and she focuses on relationships and how they affect the characters....all of her books are excellent...

the newest is no exception....I picked it up last week at B&N....and finished it over the weekend....

it's about two friends who had a falling out in high school and what happens when one of them shows up on the others doorstep years later needing her old friends help....

Current Inspiration

I have two books that are currently serving as my inspiration...

one book I've had around for a while and the other is brand new...

Joel Dewberry's book Sewn Spaces is just as awesome as his fabric lines!! Have ya'll gotten your hands on it yet?? You should go out and get it if you haven't...some really great projects...including some reversible fabric boxes that are just what I mentioned I need in the last post....

I've had Jelly Roll Quilts since I started on my quilting adventure...it was the first quilting book I purchased....

it was love at first sight for me with the Daisy Chain pattern...

so here is the progress so far...

all the strips are done...it's time to make the blocks...



I'm still really in love with this design...really really in love actually...

Weekend Rewind

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend....

mine was relaxing, yet productive...

I put the finishing touches on my bedroom spruce up...

pillows I started here, all done and on the bed..

I finished them with simple envelope style....in the opposing solid color from the solid on the front of each pillow...

here's a quick snapshot of my finished spruce up of my bedroom...

I added new white tables as nightstands...and simple lamps with different lamps shades as I didn't want everything to be all match-y match-y...isn't the Liberty of London shade on the right just adorable??

I'm super happy with the way it turned out...I think after looking at the pictures though that I need something over the bed since doing away with a headboard....and that it would be adorable to have fabric storage in the bright lime and fuchsia under the white nightstand for storage and to tie in the colors from the pillows...so guess that i'll be working this week??

after finishing up my room...I decided I deserved to pamper myself a bit by getting a manicure and pedicure...it was so relaxing...and the bright coral I choose for my nails and toes makes me smile

I also went to see 'Get Him To The Greek'....hilarious....and Russell Brand not only makes me laugh but I love his accent....

and this evening I'm enjoying The Next Food Network Star and Design Star....back to back...I'm in heaven...

and here is lil sneak peak at the fabrics in a quilt i'm working on...

Have a great Monday ya'll!!!

Well Read Wednesday

I'm totally a book lover...I read a lot...

I won't tell you how much...or you'll totally think I'm a nerd...

I know I'm not alone in loving Stephenie Meyer....she's a freaking genius...she writes characters that the world falls in love with...I mean look at the Twilight saga...

is there anyone on the planet who hasn't read the Twilight books?? Or seen the movies??

p.s. i can't wait for then end of the month for Eclipse to get to the theaters...

well...the amazing Ms. Meyer has a new novella out...

cover art via stepheniemeyer.com

I picked this book up at Barnes & Noble on Saturday....

and I'll just tell ya...I finished it rather quickly...one of my favorite things about any book is how an author gets you to invest in the characters...and while this book is a little different in that you know some of these characters from another book....I was totally into all the characters even the ones I didn't know before hand...and I couldn't put this book down...

this is a quick and riveting read...it would be a great beach or pool read over summer vacation!!

so go out and pick it up if you haven't already...and an added bonus $1 from each book purchase goes to the American Red Cross...so it's a fantastic fast read and a donation to a good cause all at the same time...

have any of ya'll read it??

Guess Who's Back...

guess who's back...back again...

i totally heart me some Eminem...so i just had to use that line...

hope ya'll have been well while I was away on my bloggy break...

I thought a LOT about my blog over the last week or so...

I had decided to take a break and think about my blog because my posts were getting fewer and there was more time elapsing between posts...

I'm an over-thinker....I over analyze and over think everything...it's one of the things that I think makes me really good at what I do for a living and has helped me in my career....looking at everything from every possible angle is a great asset in a manager...but it makes me doubt myself in other arenas...

being the over thinker that I am I started by looking at why I started my blog in the first place...I had just taken a class and learned about quilting...I was in love with quilting...and also just discovered this online world of quilty and crafty blogs....which were so full of unbelievably talented and amazing women that create them...and I realized that I wanted to talk about the projects I was working on...but I really wanted to be part of this world of these amazingly talented and kind women...

then I needed to look at where I was at this point in my life and in this journey....I've mentioned that I just got a pretty big promotion at work and that I'm a bit of workaholic...I also have a lot of pride and can be an all or nothing type...if I do something I want to be the best and give it my all...and I'll be the first to admit that my blog was suffering in the battle between work and blog...

so I thought and decided that I still love quilting and still want to be a quilty-bloggy rockstar like the amazing women that I rush to read everyday....

and again being me the over-thinker....I had to think of a way to be able give my blog the attention that it needed...and so I devised a plan...it would be easy for me to post more regularly if I had pre-planned post themes for different days...

so here we go on a new adventure here in Red Dirt Girl World....so Wednesday will be Well Read Wednesdays....which for me being a very avid reader this won't be difficult at all...

hope ya'll will continue to take the time to read about me, my projects, and my life here in Red Dirt Girl world...

Blog Break

If you haven't noticed...I've been a little absent...

life has kept me from my blog...but soon i will be back...

on June 15th...to be precise

Springy and Bright

Spring is in full swing here in North Texas

it's been beautiful weather wise

I just love the bright happy colors of spring

All the bright spring blooms had me inspired

I've needed some color to spruce up my gray and white bed linens

so I dug out some of my all time favorite fabric

included some solids to coordinate

and came up with these

they are so bright and happy

and the dark gray ties them in with my bedding

i echo quilted the flowers and leaves

then some stippling in the open spaces

then quarter inch spaced lines on the borders

oh...did i mention these are going to become pillows

bet you were wondering huh?

i can't decide though exactly how to do the backs

I'm wavering between simple envelope backs

or grommets and laced up with grosgrain ribbon

Patio Spruce Up

I have been spending a fair amount of time on my patio lately...

even with all the bright plants...there seemed to still be a lack of color...

and my patio chairs are not all that comfortable...

so I was a Joann yesterday...

and guess what was on sale....yep...outdoor canvas...50% off!!

so here's what I made yesterday...

here's a closer shot of the print....it's absolutely adorable...

and the colors are perfect for all the colors of my planters on the patio..

so cute right??

and my plants are looking good....

lots of buds on my impatiens...

I had never seen this sweet potato vine before...but it's got really deep dark foliage...and then this week...an added bonus...these perfect little purple blooms...



I just love these bright coral geraniums....and apparently so does Ry....his nose is blocking the big bright blooms....oh well...

Happy weekend everyone!!

A relaxing space

Spring is in full swing here in North Texas...

the weather has been absolutely beautiful....rain in the early morning, but then lots of sunshine and really mild temperatures...

making me want to spend what little time I have in the evenings outside...since most days with the new job I'm cooped up inside these days...

so I decided to spruce up the patio...so bright and early Saturday morning found me headed to Lowe's and straight to the garden center....

I had picked up a book at Barnes&Noble a few weeks ago about organic container gardening...so my plan was some bright vibrant colors...and veggies and herbs to enjoy through the summer...

so here's the progress so far...

I love bright blooms of a Hibiscus...this one is a really vibrant coral and it has tons of buds just waiting to pop open...and these grow so tall...I thought why not hide some crisp white little shade lovers on the back side...

more little white Impatiens with a favorite of mine Lantana.....this will probably turn out to be my favorite container on the patio..


and the rest of the containers while in progress...that's my little jalapeno plant in the green container on the left.....Roma tomato in the beige container in the middle...cilantro in the small coral container to the tomatoes right...and my garlic is pictured...but I'm thinking I'll be able to keep everyone in salsa this summer if these little guys produce for me...

we also have rosemary, lantana, snapdragons, sweet potato vine, and creeping jenny in containers...we had to take a break to relax....

but we'll post some more pics when everything is all in place...but for now Ry and I have some sun and a nice breeze to enjoy!!

Hope you had a great weekend!!

What I'm working on

I decided I need a wall hanging for my office as the walls are just way too plain...

I've had an Oz jelly roll on my sewing table for a while now...

Julie's hexagon quilt-a-long had me decide that is just what that jelly roll needed to be..

can't wait to finish it....it's going to be fanatastic...

it's going to be bright and cheerful and fun...

I'm still here...

things have been crazy at work...

but i'm still working my way thru those holiday quilts...

so here's the work in progress for the Easter quilt....

and can i tell ya'll how happy i am that the weather is warm and sunny...

i'm enjoying it...

and i'm sure it'll be too hot way too soon...