Craftsy has a new class out, Quick & Easy Quilting with Eleanor Burns. Of course, I had heard of Eleanor Burns because she is one of the pioneers of modern day quilting, but I had never read her books or watched her teach. When I saw that Craftsy had released the new class instructed by Eleanor, and she demonstrates a project with a scalloped border, and she uses an Accuquilt GO, I thought it was my duty to take it!
Eleanor shares all her tips and tricks for quick and easy piecing and she's pretty animated doing so! While I don't own an Accuquilt die cutting machine, it is interesting to see her use it to cut multiple shapes for blocks and applique with the turn of a handle. I have a Big Shot and used that for my very first Purple Flower Quilt but haven't used it for quilting since. The dies are expensive so I never invested in any more. Use of the machine is optional and the fabric can be cut in a standard way. Projects made in the class include two wall hangings (including the one with the scalloped edge) and a quilt. There's lots of applique, flying geese, and other blocks demonstrated along with extra lessons on making bias strips, the scalloped binding, chain piecing, and pressing. You can use the link above to see the lesson contents and the materials you need to complete the projects. The Craftsy class overview is a great way to see more in-depth info about the course before you decide if you want to sign up.
As I was watching the lessons as soon when I signed up for the class, it struck me that perhaps I HAD more of a connection to Eleanor Burns than I had remembered. Sure enough, when I went to my quilt book shelf I pulled this copy of Quilt in a Day from the stack. It was published in 1986 and my mother-in-law gave it to me last year. She had actually taken a demo class at her senior resort in Arizona in '89 (the year her son and I became an official couple!!), bought the book, but then never caught the quilting bug. I thought it was sweet that she gave it to me and I love having anything 'quilty' in my stash, but I didn't think then that I would ever use the patterns given all the updated and advanced ones I have. Now I think it's great to have mother-in-law's hand-written notes from the day and it's cool to have something original from early Eleanor Burns! I might even use the instructions for pillow shams!
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