Suggestions, please...
 

I may need to have my head examined, but I'm considering teaching my mother-in-law to quilt. I'm looking for suggesions of easy - totally beginner level quilts. (she's 84 years old, and only has done a little sewing in her life) Since she likes to watch me sew, and likes to help, I thought I'd start her on a small project. Any pattern suggestions would be appreciated.

How about a 4 or 6 inch scrappy lap quilt? Barny

Well, my brain is dead! I meant 4 or 6 inch BLOCK scrappy lap quilt

9 patch , warm wishes

Rail fence is another good choice

How about a 9 patch lap quilt. Now look on the bright side. Once she starts quilting, you will immediately know what to give her for birthday and Christmas gifts ..... fabric, fabric and fabric.

Rail Fence

a simple Coin Quilt

a simple paper pieced pattern

Crazy quilting on muslin background using fancy stitches or hand embroidery if she wants to more.

String Quilt

ali

I agree with the above. Just something simple. I think it is wonderful that she has the ambition to do this, and that you will take this on. Bless her heart! (and yours, too!)

Why not a gift for a favorite person, hot pad, mug rug, dog pad, baby quilt? She'd probably be more interested in doing something for someone else than for herself.

Rail fence or a large 4patch using charm sq. so there is nothing to cut.

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.

If she has some basic knowledge of sewing, I agree about the rail fence project. Also, I think the 10 minute block would not be too hard either. Gives a quilt a little something extra. If she has no sewing knowledge, for sure give her the basics of tools before anything else. Good luck. Let us know how the lessons go.

Thank you!!
 

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I like all the ideas. Having her make a quilt to donate is a great idea. I'm thinking either a Quilt of Valor (her late husband was a WWII vet) or I like the easy quilt patterns from Quilts for Kids web site - and donate to a kids hospital. I think I will offer her a couple of projects to choose from, and have her pick what interests her most - rather than me picking. I will make the project that she doesn't pick - so we'll have two quilts to donate!

When I was being taught on my first quilt, I just chose three fabrics and cut 12 x 12 blocks. Sewed the blocks into rows and then the rows together. Quilted by hand (SID) and binded. It was easy and very forgiving on mistakes.

I was thinking this also. My first class was 12 different pieced blocks, then we put them together with sashings and corner blocks. The trick is buying enough fabric to do all the blocks so that they coordinate. The first quilt my first student did was embroidered blocks with log cabin frames since she had an embroidery machine.

yes work with her-just start small and basic.After finishing something and getting the satisfaction then she will be all fired up for something a little bigger.