I make a lot of different full sized quilts, although none have been applique. Based on the audiobooks I play while quilting stuff, would say it takes 40-50 hours for me to piece a top from cutting to finishing the borders. I do not have a design board, which honestly does slow you down. I do a lot of shortcut techniques, but some things just have no fast way of being done.
Eleanor Burns lied about 'a quilt in a day',
Actually, not true. I have done a full sized Log cabin in about 8 hours, from cutting to finishing the top. You can actually have it stuffed and on the bed in another 2 hours. I was a lot younger then. These days, I can only sew for about 3-4 hours in a day.