i don't think you should worry about being pushy.

the truth is that you are being pushed. :lol:

select three patterns you think you can make successfully. "surprise" her by letting her choose which of those three patterns she likes best. stear her toward fabrics that fit your budget.

i'm not suggesting you be at all nasty or negative about it. just make sure to be gently and lovingly honest as each stage of the subject comes up. that way, you'll enjoy making it as much as she enjoys having it. ;-)

My dads easy. If it's red he loves it. You know how picky she may be. Let that tell you the best way to go on.

Nearly all the quilts I have made for others started with one fabric they loved and I built the quilt around it. That works best for me.

The idea about giving her a choice of three or four patterns you were comfortable with sounds like a winner to me. Non quilters are kind of like small children who need help choosing what to wear. The easiest thing in that case is to give them several appropiate choices to choose from. That way both parties are happy. As for the fabric take her to a real LQS so she realizes the price of "good" fabric. The other suggestion about letting her choose just one theme fabric can save you money since you might just have fabrics already in your stash or know other sources of less expensive fabrics that will work with the pattern.
I hope your MIL really appreciates all of your time and artistry.

Yeap, very well said.
:thumbup: Good luck

My one thought about letting someone else pick the pattern, is that most often the patterns are made up using certain colours. Someone who is new at picking might have trouble visualizing the pattern in different colours, or might be distracted by the colour combinations in the quilt.

The idea of picking one fabric then coordinating around it is a great idea. That's how I've done it, and I don't think anyone's been disappointed yet. That leaves me the decision of what pattern would best suit the initial choice as well.

Good point about the patterns being in color...so make a few black/white copies of those you would like to work with and then you can shade them in with some of the color of the fabric she likes.

Your right. Sometimes I have a hard time looking at a pattern with the colors they used. When I first started sewing I seen the B.Q. Pattern and the colors they used I thought were not my thing. Later I seen it in my colors and bought the pattern.
That was when I really started looking at patterns differently.
:-D :-D :-D Also now I look at them wondering how I can make them doggy. Infact the B.Q. quilt is in my UFO pile made all in doggy fabrics. I collect dog fabrics so love using them.
:thumbup:

I would go with #3. Let her pick colors, you pick the pattern. If she does pick a pattern you are not comfortable with, just tell her that it is above your skill level. It's ok to say no to a pattern if you fell uncomfortable with it.

BUT, take a look at the pattern first, not just the picture. Sometimes the pattern isn't as difficult as you may think. I have looked at some quilts and thought "no way can I do that". If you look at it one block at a time you can usually deconstruct it in your mind and it it easier than you think.

Do what YOU feel comfortable with. :-D :-D :-D