Make a Quilt in a Day : Log Cabin Pattern [Paperback]

Eleanor Burns (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 93 pages
• Publisher: Quilt In a Day, Inc.; 5th edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0018T5EFS
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,382,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Twenty-nine years ago Eleanor Burns introduced her first Quilt in a Day book, cultivating a quiltmaking revolution. She presented her unique style, a diverse combination of cutting and sewing applications, creating new techniques altogether. Her concise step by step directions are easy to grasp, allowing the possibility for anyone to be successful at making a quilt. Eleanor Burns gave quiltmakers techniques that compacted months into merely a day, a quilt in a day, spreading her vibrant enthusiasm within everyone. She has motivated thousands of want-to-be quilters with needed confidence and assurance. Altogether, the impact of her influences opened the door to a renewal. Her efforts sowed the seeds that have grown into many techniques that are commonly used today. Since 1978 when she self-published her first book Make a Quilt in a Day: Log Cabin Pattern, she has authored over seventy-five additional books. Throughout the world today, there are thousands of instructors teaching her quiltmaking methods. Her first Quilt in a Day TV series began airing on PBS in 1990 and is still broadcast nationwide and abroad and now her shows can be seen on the world wide Web on QNN and Quilters TV.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for "quickie" quilts and first-time quilters, May 7, 2000

By 

"khinds2220" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quilt In A Day-Make A Quilt In A Day Log Cabin Pat (Quilt in a Day Series) (Paperback)

Need a fast gift for the baby shower or just a fast introduction to patchwork? Eleanor Burns is there for you, with great illustrations, easy to understand instructions, and delicious photos of finished projects. An added bonus: detailed info on fabric quantities for various sizes of finished quilt (wall hanging, crib, twin, etc.) You don't have to struggle with the math! In fact, your only real challenge will be picking colors. She classifies "Log Cabin" as an "easy" project. Don't be misled; the finished projects can dazzle, despite the relatively simple construction methods. You can probably turn out that baby shower quilt in about 2 evenings. A king-size quilt obviously takes longer, but that's because of the time you'll spend wrestling with the greater amount of finished piecework in the machine quilting stage. Although you'll find the basic instructions for log cabin blocks in any number of quilting books, "Log Cabin Patterns" rates a place on any quilter's bookshelf.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish this had been my first quilting book, April 22, 2006

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quilt In A Day-Make A Quilt In A Day Log Cabin Pat (Quilt in a Day Series) (Paperback)

Eleanor Burns does an excellent job of making quilting simple for beginners. Every step, *every* one, is clearly photographed, so that you know what to do. She works hard to simplify the task of making a quilt, and I think she succeeds. If this had been the first quilting book I picked up, I would have approached my initial projects with a lot more confidence -- and with fewer mistakes.

However, the book has been valuable for me even though I'm... well, I'm not sure of the "intermediate" label, yet, but I'm far from a rank beginner. One reason is the clarity of her instructions. I had attempted to make a log cabin quilt as one of my earliest projects, and I made two boo-boos that Burns would have warned me against. (They were dumb enough, in retrospect, that she should have slapped me. That quilt top is hidden in a drawer, because I'd be too embarrassed to give it away.)

Also -- and the reason I picked up this book in the first place -- the instructions are given for every size quilt imaginable, from a wall hanging to crib quilt to extra-large king. Most quilt books give instructions for just one size of quilt; if you want to make another (such as a king instead of a double), you have to figure out the fabric requirements on your own. This book tells you exactly how much you'll need for each size; even better, it reassures you about the fabric usage during construction ("at this point, you should be able to sew three blocks for each strip").

I'm almost done with a crib quilt (a gift for an expectant niece), and I'm quite pleased with the results. It's a pretty quilt, and for the first time my blocks require no trimming! I'm also happy with the speed of construction; this really has been very easy and swift.

However, do keep one thing in mind: _Burns is simplifying_. For example, she doesn't have you iron at each step; instead, you finger press and use a stilletto to ensure that you sew seams in the correct direction. (I pressed, anyway.) I suspect that the method she imparts is like the 10-minute simplified recipes for complex dinners -- they can taste just fine but they aren't "authentic." On the other hand, this book will get you off the ground, and give you a successful quilt in a short time. You can develop the fancier techniques later.

A definite winner for beginners, and quite useful for intermediate quilters, too.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to do with fantastic results!, May 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Quilt In A Day-Make A Quilt In A Day Log Cabin Pat (Quilt in a Day Series) (Paperback)

This book's step by step instructions on how to cut and speed piece this type of quilt makes it easy for beginners. I had not done quilting before and my first project, a baby quilt, turned out absolutely gorgeous! Don't let the title fool you, you probably cannot finish the quilt in one day unless you spent a good 10-12 hours straigt working on it, but you can get one finished quite fast with this method. I definately recommend this book if you want to create a beautiful quilt that looks like you spent months piecing it together. The directions are clear and pictures, especially the variety of designs you can create, are very helpful. I'll be making other quilts using this book. If you want to learn to quilt with good results the first time, get this book.