Eleanor Burns


Eleanor Burns is a master quilter and former TV series host of Quilt in a Day, which aired in 1994 on PBS for six seasons.

Career

Burns first began sewing on a crankle-handle toy sewing machine as a child, then started stitching on her Aunt Edna's feed sacks.
She attended Edinboro State College and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education there. She then went on to a graduate program at Pennsylvania State University and became a special education teacher in the Pittsburgh School District.
Her first book, Make a Quilt in a Day: Log Cabin Pattern, was self-published in 1978. The book has been credited with starting a quilt-making revolution as people learned Burns' style of stitching a quilt. She has since written more than 100 books on the subject of quilting. In addition, Burns has written many patterns and developed a series of specialty rulers for quilting. The Quilt in a Day TV series, which first aired in 1990, was based on Burns' book Make a Quilt in a Day. Burns had a show on PBS called Women Who Taught Us to Sew, in which she taught about historical women who were influential in the field of quilting, such as Ruby McKim and Marie Webster.
Burns has designed fabric collections for Benartex, Inc. She was a spokesperson for Elna sewing machines and Baby Lock Quilters Dream machines. She also designed specialty rulers for quilting.

Awards

In 2012, Burns was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame.

List of publications

All Star QuiltsAmish QuiltApplique in a DayBears in the WoodsBirds in the AirBoston Common QuiltChristmas Quilts and CraftsCross Stitch QuiltsDay & Night Quilt BookDelectable MountainsDouble Pinwheel QuiltDutch WindmillsEasy Strip TulipFans & Flutterbys QuiltsFlying Geese Quilt in a DayGarden LatticGO! Qube - Mix and Match Blocks and Quilts BookGo! Sampler BookGrandmother's Garden QuiltHearts Delight-Nine Patch VariationsIt's 'El'ementaryJewel Box QuiltLast Minute GiftsLover's Knot PlacematsLover's Knot QuiltMachine Quilting PrimerMagic Vine QuiltMake a Quilt in a Day: Log Cabin Pattern May BasketNana's GardenNorthern StarOrion's Star QuiltPineapple QuiltQuick Trip QuiltsQuilt Blocks on American BarnsQuilter's Almanac Block Party ThreeQuilts From El's AtticQuilts from El's KitchenQuilts Through the SeasonsRecycled Treasures from Grandma's AtticRadiant Stars QuiltsSchoolhouse WallhangingScrap QuiltSnowball Quilt SimplifiedSpools and Tools WallhangingA Star For All SeasonsStar Log CabinStar Spangled FavoritesStars Across America Block Party Series SevenStill Stripping - After 25 YearsStockings and Small QuiltsSunbonnet Sue Visits Quilt in a DayTales of First Ladies and Their Quilt BlocksTennessee Waltz QuiltTrio of Treasured QuiltsTriple Irish ChainUnderground Railroad SamplerVictory Quilts

Personal life

Burns maintains a quilting studio at her Bear's Paw Ranch in Julian, California, a mountain town in San Diego County.
She has dyslexia.
Burns shares her interest in quilting with two sisters, Patricia and Judith. Judy died in 2012.