I recently attended a three-day Eleanor Burns quilting retreat, hosted by Sew Much More (Austin, Texas) and sponsored by Baby Lock. There were about 75 attendees (some from as far away as Massachusetts) and we were split up into three groups, rotating to a different class each day: (1) sewing and appliqué, (2) embroidery, sewing and Sashiko and (3) serging.

Eleanor Burns is the quilting guru behind the company Quilt In A Day and has been in business 35 years. She and her staff have come up with all kinds of tips, tricks, notions, rulers, templates and patterns so that their quilt tops can be created in just one day by most people.

Serged French Braid quilt top

This is my small, lap-sized quilt top that I began in the retreat’s serging class (my group’s class for Day 3). We used Quilt In A Day’s Braid in a Day: Eleanor Burns Signature Pattern. Even with two instructors in the class, I couldn’t finish my quilt top in one day. One has to pay particular attention to the beginning part of this pattern and I did just that, managing to start it incorrectly not once, not twice, but four times. Pfft! Yes, there are pictures in the pattern, so I have no excuse.

Back of the serged French Braid quilt

Once I got past the beginning, I made fairly good progress but at the end of the day my quilt top wasn’t finished. I left with the three braids done, their inner borders attached, and the fabric for the remainder of the quilt top. I finished it the next day, at home. So if Quilt In A Day patterns can be sewed (or serged) in one day by most people, but I’m not in that “most people” group, that puts me in the small, elite group, right? (We just won’t go into where that specific “elite group” falls in the quilting food chain.)

Closeup of the serged quilt seams

The goal of this class was to show the students that quilt tops can be pieced together with a serger. I’ve owned a serger for years, but never considered creating a quilt top with it. I am very happy to have the setting values that result in a quarter-inch serged seam: four-thread overlock, width 5.5, length 2.5. (These settings will work with most of the newer Baby Lock sergers they said. I have no idea what settings are needed by other brands.)

I confess that my casual sewing attitude seems to include serging, as well. The top of this quilt measures about half an inch wider than the bottom of the quilt. And this is probably the only time I’ll ever show you the back of one of my quilts. This is as neat as one will ever be, as they are not near this neat when I use my sewing machine.

I also have the in-progress project from the Day 1 class, sewing and appliqué. Looking at what’s left to complete on that quilt top (wall hanging size, even smaller than this one), I may need two or even three more days.

Elite sewist, indeed. (Snort.) Quilt in a day, or two or three or . . .