About Eleanor Burns
Born 1945. Eleanor Burns is an American textile designer and teacher, known for Quilt.
Eleanor Burns (born July 3, 1945, in Zelienople, Pennsylvania) 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. 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.
List of publications
All Star Quilts Amish Quilt Applique in a Day Bears in the Woods Birds in the Air Boston Common Quilt Christmas Quilts and Crafts Cross Stitch Quilts Day & Night Quilt Book Delectable Mountains Double Pinwheel Quilt Dutch Windmills Easy Strip Tulip Fans & Flutterbys Quilts Flying Geese Quilt in a Day Garden Lattic GO! Qube - Mix and Match Blocks and Quilts Book Go! Sampler Book Grandmother's Garden Quilt Hearts Delight-Nine Patch Variations It's 'El'ementary Jewel Box Quilt Last Minute Gifts Lover's Knot Placemats Lover's Knot Quilt Machine Quilting Primer Magic Vine Quilt Make a Quilt in a Day: Log Cabin Pattern (1978) May Basket Nana's Garden Northern Star Orion's Star Quilt Pineapple Quilt Quick Trip Quilts Quilt Blocks on American Barns Quilter's Almanac Block Party Three Quilts From El's Attic Quilts from El's Kitchen Quilts Through the Seasons Recycled Treasures from Grandma's Attic Radiant Stars Quilts Schoolhouse Wallhanging Scrap Quilt Snowball Quilt Simplified Spools and Tools Wallhanging A Star For All Seasons Star Log Cabin Star Spangled Favorites Stars Across America Block Party Series Seven Still Stripping - After 25 Years Stockings and Small Quilts Sunbonnet Sue Visits Quilt in a Day Tales of First Ladies and Their Quilt Blocks Tennessee Waltz Quilt Trio of Treasured Quilts Triple Irish Chain Underground Railroad Sampler Victory Quilts Wild Goose Chase 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.
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Important facts
People in Eleanor Burns's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Eleanor Burns's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Eleanor Burns?
American quilter, teacher, and author
When was Eleanor Burns born?
Eleanor Burns was born on 3 July 1945 in Pennsylvania.
What is Eleanor Burns's occupation?
Eleanor Burns is a textile designer and teacher.
What is Eleanor Burns known for?
Eleanor Burns is known for Quilt.
What nationality is Eleanor Burns?
Eleanor Burns is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eleanor Burns. https://biography.guide/eleanor-burns/
MLA: "Eleanor Burns." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eleanor-burns/.
Chicago: "Eleanor Burns." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eleanor-burns/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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