Some posters from your area will probably come along and give you some good advice, but in the meantime, let me get you started. If you are not going spray, then you are going to have to search out the roses that are very disease-resistant. That includes roses like Knock Out--which is why it is doing fine. I haven't grown most of the roses on your list, but I have seen roses like zephirine drouhin and abraham darby on blackspot magnet lists. In other words, don't even try to grow them if you aren't going to spray. Two things you can do now. 1)Check out the thread I started tonight about "Year-end Review: What are you Blackspotters" (or something like that). You don't want to grow any of those roses. 2) Go to the search box at top or bottom of the page and type in "disease resistant" or "blackspot"--that should call up dozens of threads talking about what roses you should or shouldn't be growing. And yes, there is hope for you. Since you are already becoming obsessed with roses (like the rest of us), just continue on learning more about roses, and you too can develop a lovely garden of roses--I promise you. Kate

I forgot to mention this. The 3rd one is the one that has the backing, borders and batting. It's going to be the easiest to finish, but it's not my favorite. I can't find any examples of this pattern on the web so I don't really know what it looks like quilted....maybe I'd like it better. The one I like the best is the first one. I think the first one would also be more fun to quilt since it's broken down in individual areas instead of the large expanse of white as in the 3rd one. Quilting will have to be done by hand. Can this be done with no quilting frame? Is it possible to hand baste the whole thing together and then quilt it on my lap? Since it seems to be important to use old fabric, what if I took the backing and batting off of the 3rd one (it's not attached yet) and use it on the 1st one? Also can you buy reproduction feed sack cloth? I'd want to make the border at least look authentic. Or I could use some of the white backing for the border, if there is enough. Or possibly not use a border and make the edges follow the contour of the wedding band, so they would be scalloped. SO many questions....lol! I think this evening I'll set up a couple of folding tables and lay the quilts out flat and measure each one.

You know Pirate girl...you may be right! She might remember them if she sees them. When it was apparent she was loosing her memory, I made a huge scrapbook for her with hundreds of family pictures. It started with pictures of her and dad as children and then dating and marrying, all of her children and grandchildren, vacations we've taken, and holiday pictures. She loves looking at that book. I know she recognizes some of the people in the pictures, even though she doesn't know their names anymore. But she does know her mother's name and recognizes her. So maybe she will remember these quilts. I'll find out next time I go see her. Thanks for that suggestion! Cindy

Hello all- back again! I have decided to start trying to quilt this and leave the decision of how to do the edge till later. I now have a different query- being a first time hand quilter, I am really struggling to find a thimble that works for me. I am looking for one that has the deep dents at the top, and has a deep lip on the edge so that the needle doesn't slip off the thimble all the time. I have tried today, and given up with the ones I have. Now I am in New Zealand- have been to the local shops here to try and find this type of thimble and can't find one anywhere. Could someone give me an online link of a craft shop in the US or Oz that I can buy one from please! I have a daughter in both countries so shipping isn't an issue- but my attempts to keep some momentum up with this quilt isn't happening! The push the needle through to the bottom and then up to the top, creating one stitch at a time = exponential light years to get any of it done!! :) Hoping for some help here please Thanks so much Annie