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Rating: 
Summary: I love each of her books that I own, especially this one!
Review: Eleanor Burns is my favorite author/teacher for quilting. I love each of her books that I own, but especially this one. Most of her sewing techniques are simple, but they are real time savers that I would never have thought of myself. Being a mother of seven, I'm always interested in saving time. "Applique in a Day" is different from many of her earlier books, so I was excited to buy it. I have made three blocks from "Applique in a Day". The first one I chose to make was the grape vine wreath. I love purple, but the main reason I chose this block was the dimension. The grapes are made of yo-yo's, so they stick out from the background block. I also had fun with the twisty embroidered vines. I used to have a grape vine in my backyard and this block really reminds me of the fun we had picking, eating, and making jam from the grapes. The next block I chose to make was the flower basket. Again, the dimension of the basket and flowers both give such interest to the block. The basket is shaped by making pleats and the small flowers are made from yo-yo's. The large flowers are rouched. This was my first attempt at this technique, so I wasn't sure if I would like it. Eleanor's instructions in the book make it very simple to do; she provides great directions, and helpful pictures. I was so pleased and the flowers look great! The third block I chose to make was the Distlefink. I love this block for its European look. The tulips are very unusual, and the bird is beautiful. I especially like Eleanor's suggestion to use a pearl for the bird's eye. There is little embroidery, but it gives the picture just the right finish. In the book there are instructions for sewing the embroidery on the sewing machine. The remaining blocks in this book are as striking as the three I have completed. Some of my other favorite blocks are the fruit basket and the holly wreath. I am eager to finish the entire quilt.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Machine Applique
Review: This was one of the first machine applique books I ever bought. We get Eleanor Burns TV show "Quilt in a Day" on Saturday mornings on a local PBS station. After watching some of the episodes relating to the "Applique in a Day" book I decided I just had to try it. If you are a hand appliquer and have never tried machine applique, buy this book. If you have never done any applique and the thought scares you to death, you really need to buy this book. Eleanor makes it so fast and simple that you will be wondering why you hesitated. This book gives you lots of fun and easy to do techniques in the "lessons". It goes into detail about making simple dimensional flowers and machine embroidered stems with pearl cotton. (Tip: Besides embroidery floss and pearl cotton you can try thin ribbon for that stem technique. All of her instructions are step by step as if she were sitting right next to you. She also shows you lots of ideas for making the finished appliqued quilt blocks into things other than quilts. Some of the things you can use the blocks for are: single and multiple block wall hangings, wedding gifts, tote bags, table runners, and pillow covers. The single block projects are great for those of us who like to finish a project quickly and go on to the next. Even if you have never done any type of quilting or applique in your life this book will have you making and more importantly FINISHING projects in no time at all. Her directions are clear, with lots of charts, diagrams and pictures. Although the larger, multi-block projects will take longer than "a day" you will still be pleased to see how fast the blocks can be finished. The highest rating that Amazon.com lists is a five but if I could, I'd have given this book a ten.
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