Log Cabin the Eleanor Burns Way!
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Last week I taught a Log Cabin class… and used Eleanor Burns’ Quilt in a Day Method…
Now the first time I made a Log Cabin quilt, I cut each and every piece of “log”.. and then sewed them all together.. It took a while, but made a beautiful quilt!
This quilt was made way back in 2009 and donated to a lady who had lost her home in the Black Saturday Bush fires in 2009. I made the top, and the lovely Cheryl Goss quilted it.
One of the few quilts I have ever made that has a label!!
Anyway, I sewed that one up the traditional way.
The way Eleanor Burns teaches it, however, is much quicker and easier!
We sell some of her books in the shop and it is always good to teach classes to sell the books… there is also a tutorial on youtube by Eleanor herself, which is fun to watch and very clear.
I made up a sample before class using a small jelly roll and turned it into this:
I really only had enough fabric to make four blocks, and then I built around them. I had a few issues with the jelly roll, however, it hadn’t been cut properly!
I did the best I could and we will see how it goes when I come to quilting it!
I then decided I’d better make another sample, and cut a bunch of 2″ strips to make these…
They sewed up so quickly using Eleanor’s Burns’ method.. I think I need to make more…
To teach the class I demonstrated a few of the steps:
and I did not sew all the blocks together because with them all as single blocks it is easier to show the students how many variations you can make when you go to sew them together.
When I got home, I popped them all into a zip lock bag (the blocks and the demo pieces)…
Along with a copy of the handout I gave everyone…
…. and now it is ready for the next time I teach this class… 🙂
You may wonder about teaching a class that has a freely available tutorial on youtube…
Well, my thoughts on this are that some ladies just do better when they can ask questions as they are sewing… especially beginners.
Half my class were beginners they had lots of questions that they just would not have been able to ask a youtube tutorial 🙂
Another lady was there who just really came for a day out and to have some fun with the rest of us.
If I teach someone else’s technique, I always link back to them, and encourage the ladies to buy the relevant book. In some cases buying the book is a prerequisite of taking the class.
Here are some blocks made by one of my students:
The fun part about Eleanor’s method is that you can just keep sewing the blocks to make them as big as you want to. It gets very addictive!
So go check out her video on Youtube, grab a jelly roll or cut some strips yourself, and have some fun!
Oh, you can also buy her book on her website here…
I haven’t seen Eleanor’s tutorial so will have to go and check itout…. it sounds and looks like a succesful class Joy. Good on you getting some beginners on board!
When I started quilting about 1999–she was a big big name and had lots of books and rulers–And one of the first classes at my local shop was on her underground railroad book–but they did the large blocks and that tool alot of fabric–a couple years later someone else did the smaller size in a class and I took that and that quilt is one of my very favorite quilts–
I have all or most of her rulers–and her sister used to come and do a show and tell every spring in NY–but I hear about either one of them anymore–
and guess what–I have never make a whole quilt of log cabin blocks!!!
enjoy the moments, di
I was recently at her shop in San Marcos for a 40th anniversary celebration of her business. She is still as funny as ever and had us all in stitches. The first quilt I made was her log cabin and it taught me a lot about quilting.
Mine too! I met her and did classes with her in Tennessee at a quilt festival then in Paducah Ky and I went to her shop in San Marcos and she came in! What a thrill, wonderful teacher !
Well done on another class. I’ve not any of Eleanor’s books, but have certainly heard of her. As Di says, a lot of the older names in quilt industry are very quiet these days. Sad, but I suppose we all slow down as we age(giggle). Take care.
I want to do another log cabin. Doing it Eleanor’s way may be the only way that I have time to do it.
I certainly have enough jelly rolls to choose from. Bad me!!!
great blocks…. log cabin quilts are always so effective and I love if you can use a precut…
Hugz
awesome blocks Joy,i have never done a log cabin,but i love the way it looks xx
This is the 1st quilt I ever saw. My old boss made several of them from that book. Your blocks look lovely x