I'd go for grandmother's flower garden - she could easily make smaller projects that are not too heavy.

I just taught an older friend in her 70's to quilt. I used a pattern from the Quilts for Kids program. It is one 6 1/2" -4 patch one 6" large patch. 5 patches going across and 6 rows of 5 patches, and simple borders. The instructions can be downloaded from the Quiltsforkids.org website. Easy. Plus just bringing the back to the front for the binding.

I was thinking too of something small to start...like a pot holder. I think it's great that a MIL wants her DIL to teach her something. You must have a great relationship. I was never into crocheting. Hubby, myself and our 2 kids went to FL (Disney and JFK space center) back in the late 70s with his parents and my MIL sat in the back seat of the car with me and crocheted the whole time. By the time we came home she had loaned me a hook and yarn and had taught me to crochet.

Friends of ours...HE wants me to teach his wife how to quilt. I said...I'm new at quilting myself but I have sewn since I was a kid. She doesn't know how to sew. I told her she would HAVE to learn some sewing basics before she would tackle quilting. They are going to come her for a "make our own pasta day/night" between Christmas and New Year's as he wants to see how my hubby makes homemade pasta. He said...while the guys are doing that you can teach Valerie how to sew. LOL

i like the warm wishes or rail fence as the cutting and sewing are so straightforward. but the way the blocks are turned makes it look more complicated.

Snowballs are super easy!

I always teach people with Yellow brick road pattern. Easy and to be holds interest.

One of the ladies in our quilting group sometimes brings her mother on our retreats. Her mother is either in her 80's or possibly early 90's but she pieced a rather intricate wall hanging at the last retreat that she attended. Although she knew how to sew, she'd never pieced anything before.
If you're going to teach her, start with teaching her how to use the tools she'll be needing---rotary cutter, rulers, mats, etc., even if it's just watching you do most of it. Also, allow her to help in the selection of pattern. Simple is one thing, boring is another. If she's bored with the pattern or fabrics she'll not get as much enjoyment out of it.

Here is a website that has a lot of easy patterns that she could do, and it's fun to look through all of them, and let her decide.
http://www.quilterscache.com/Alphabe...stPageA_F.html

how about a rail fence. just strips cut and sewn into squares. then the laying out begins

When I was in 4-H a few years back (lol) my project leader had picked 12 quilt blocks all different and pretty basic patterns out for use to do, but each one teaching a different skill such as squares, triangles, circles, etc. I guess you could say like a sampler quilt. We all really enjoyed it and the good thing was you where always changing to keep a person interested as if one is too hard or too simple they didn't get bored or fed up and just quit. Also they she could use each block as a mug rug or hot pads to give as gifts.