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50 weeks of desperation

Jun 17, 2012 / 14 Comments
It all started last year when I had an insane idea to challenge myself to design 50 – 8″ blocks in 50 weeks. I also asked 50 guest bloggers to join me and together create a total of 100 new blocks for everyone to enjoy.
Block designs would be drawn on the back of serviettes in a coffee shop or on scraps of paper when waiting to pick up the children from after school activities, then transferred into EQ7 for manipulation.
The blocks were a menagerie of different techniques, using mainly fabrics from my scrap bin, with a  traditional, modern/contemporary theme. When I could, I would show how the blocks would look in different settings and colour ways. The designs were based on things that were part of my everyday life as a stay at home mum running a small business. 
This was not a traditional quilt-a-long but a quilt-if-you-like-along, where the participant could pick and choose which blocks they would use in their projects. There are some blocks I really liked and one day will make quilts using the single block or a combination of a few.
Here is the collection ( not in order ):

1. DHWQ Week 21 – The Star, 2. DHWQ Week 12 – Diamonds in the Rough, 3. DHWQ Week 11 – Kiss Kiss, 4. DHWQ Block 10 – New from Old, 5. DHWQ Week 9 – All washed up, 6. DHWQ Week 8 – Board Games, 7. DHWQ Week 7 – Salt n Pepper, 8. DH6 Week 6 – Phillip Screwdriver, 9. DHWQ Week 5 – Flower Power, 10. DHWQ Week 4 – Bar Jello, 11. Desperate Housewife Block 3 – Evolution, 12. DHWQ Raindrop – Block 2, 13. DHWQ Block 1 – Eight Squared, 14. DHWQ Week 15 – Chocolate Box, 15. DHWQ Week 14 – Venetian Blinds, 16. DHWQ Week 13 – Umbrella, 17. DHWQ Week 16 – Caught in a Web, 18. DHWQ Week 18 – Reflective Surface, 19. DHWQ Week 17 – Swing me around on the Hill hoist, 20. DHWQ Week 20 Talkin’ Turkey, 21. DHWQ Week 22 – Ornamentallist, 22. DHWQ Week 23 – Light the Candle, 23. DHWQ Week 24 – Wreath, 24. DHWQ Week 25 – The Sad, Little, Elf Decoration, 25. DHWQ Week 26 – Christmas Lights, 26. DHWQ Week 27 – Four Makes Two, 27. DHWQ Week 28 – Super Nova, 28. DHWQ Week 29 – Painted Road, 29. DHWQ Block – Week 30 Heartfelt, 30. DHWQ Week 31 Layer up Layer upon Layer, 31. DHWQ Block 32 – Shattered Pane, 32. DHWQ Week 33 – Crown, 33. DHWQ Week 34 – Dream Weaver, 34. DHWQ Week 35 Simple, 35. DHWQ Week 36 – Mowing the Lawn, 36. DHWQ Week 39 – Crosses

And here are the 50 blocks made by guest bloggers ( not in order ):

1. DHWQ Week 22 – Guest Blogger Melody, 2. DHWQ Guest Blogger Sharon – Nameless, 3. DHWQ Week 19 – Guest Blogger Lauren – Burst, 4. Week 20 – Guest Blogger John Adams – SpinOut, 5. Guest Blogger Ros – Week 18, 6. Guest Blogger Melissa – Brady Bunch, 7. Guest Week 12 – Linked Squares, 8. DHWQ Guest Blogger – Week 11, 9. Guest Blogger Week 10 – Inspired by Peacock Feathers, 10. Guest Blogger Week 8, 11. DHWQ Guest Blogger Week 6 – Perspective, 12. Guest Blogger Week 7 – Rolling Divide, 13. Guest Blogger Week 5, 14. Guest Blogger – Week 4 Quasar, 15. DHWQ Week 9 Guest Blogger – Lazy Susan, 16. DHWQ Week 23 Guest Blogger – Pat Sloan, 17. Guest Blogger Week 2 – Funky Flower, 18. DHWQ Week 13 – Paint Chips Lynne Goldsworthy, 19. DHWQ Week 24 Guest Blogger Charlie Scott – Snowflake, 20. DHWQ Week 24 – Guest Blogger Sue Belleli – Scrappy Tree, 21. DHWQ Week 25 Guest Paloma – Broken Dishes, 22. DHWQ Week 26 Guest Blogger Belinda, 23. DHWQ Week 27 Guest Blogger Siobhan – Spots and Stripes, 24. DHWQ Week 28 Guest Blogger Benita Skewed Heart, 25. DHWQ Guest Blogger Shruti – Cathedral Windows, 26. DHWQ guest blogger Danielle – Round the Twist, 27. DHWQ Week 31 Guest Blogger Tammie, 28. DHWQ Week 32 – Guest Blogger Jamie Elfert – Amor, 29. DHWQ Week 34 Guest Blogger Monica – Funky Wrench Nut, 30. DHWQ Week 35 Guest Blogger Jan Lanak – Roller Coaster, 31. DHWQ Week 36 Guest Julianna Gasiorowska, 32. DHWQ Week 40 Guest Blogger Charlotte – Katherine Wheel, 33. DHWQ Guest blogger Week 37 – McKenna Powell, 34. DHWQ Guest Blogger Shirley Week 42 – Twisted Triangles, 35. DHWQ Week 44 Guest Blogger Laura – Apple, 36. DHWQ Week 45 guest blogger Jess Frost 37. DHWQ Week 46 Guest Kat Soper, 38. DHWQ Week 47 Guest blogger Debbie Grifka- Pebble Path, 39. DHWQ Week 48 Guest Blogger – Chevron Fly, 40. DHWQ Week 49 Guest Hollie – Shattered Glass, 41. DHWQ Week 49 Guest Mary Anne – House for Sale, 42. DHWQ Week 50 Guest blogger Tracey – The Thrifty Housewife, 43. DHWQ Week 32 Guest Tonya – Pastel Stripes, 44. DHWQ Week 43 Guest Toni – Recycled Denim Daisy, 45. DHWQ Week 50 Guest Blogger Kate – Killers don’t wear aprons, 46. DHWQ Week 5- Guest Blogger 4 Patch Fancy, 47. DHWQ Week 50 – Guest Blogger – Button Bug, 48. DHWQ Week 50 Guest Blogger – Wonky Churn Dash, 49. DHWQ Week 50 Guest Blogger – Tumbled Rose, 50. DHWQ Week 50 Guest Blogger – Peach Blossom Perfection

Hard to find good help these days.
The boys were too impatient to let me straighten the quilt.

This quilt is made using all the blocks. I chose the freeform look (laying it on the floor and cutting 3″ strips to be randomly placed around and between each block ) I chose greys, charcoals and a text print as a background filler to subdue the vibrant colours in the blocks. These blocks were never supposed to be made into one quilt, I just wanted to collate them into an ‘Album’ as a memento of the challenge.  My dilemma will be how to quilt it!

My assistant

I hope those who visited my blog each week to view the blocks enjoyed it as much as I did making them. I am so appreciative of all the guests who made their wonderful blocks to share with us each week.

Now on to some unfinished projects.

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