Free table during quit guild meeting?
 

Does your guild have a table where folks can put scraps and leftover fabric to give away? I am asking because our guild is considering doing this. The idea is to help quilters out who don't have a stash or maybe much money and to help quilters get interesting pieces for scrappy quilts.

Our guild is also a bit clannish and we thought that having this free table available during the social time before the meeting starts might cause people to sort of interact with more than just their friends as folks are looking at or selecting freebies.

Does anyone do this? Is it a worthwhile idea to pursue?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Dina

Our guild has had one for years... I've given and received great stuff there... not just fabric.
This just appeared in our newest newsletter:
A Reminder about the Free Table:We are happy to see that the free table is such a success; it allows members who have items they no longer want
or need to offer them for other members to enjoy. We would like to remind everyone that:
Items placed on the table should be good quality, usable items and should be placed as neatly as space allows.
Items that are not taken must be cleaned off the table by the person who brought them and either donated or disposed of in other ways. Please do not leave this for the members who volunteer to stay to pick up the room after the meeting.
We would like to continue to offer the free table, but we feel that it is everyone's responsibility to maintain it, please respect everyone's time by taking your remaining items before leaving the Guild meeting.

Our guild has such a table, we call it "The too good to toss table" - while it is informally supposed to be quilting related there are often other types of fabrics, sewing patterns, knitting patterns and notions as well. Same rules as noted above - if you bring it, take care of anything leftover yourself.

We have one and one person is in charge of it. What is not picked up at the end of the meeting it all goes in the dumpster outside. She will save books and some magazines for several go arounds. What she keeps or tosses is up to her after the meeting. Some that were in charge dumped everything after the meeting and some saved everything. Who ever wants the job decides.

We have a free table at my monthly guild meetings. Same rules - you brought it? You bring it home if nobody grabs what you brought. Any crafty item is welcome.

My guild doesn't have one, but I sure wish they did. I have a lot of stuff that I know I'll never use that I'd love for someone else to have. Some of it mine, some counted cross stitch stuff that belonged to my MIL

Ditto here~ :)

This is really good information! Thank you so much.

Dina

our guild has a day time and night time meeting to accommodate those that work. We do not have a free table--but often have people bring magazines and sometimes fabrics and leave. Unfortunately, that means those of us that have to pick up (means put up all chairs, all guild stuff, take down all tables) end up having to dump this stuff. We have a annual "garage sale" each year and I'd really like if people would hang on to their stuff until then--we have no place to store either.

I belong to two guilds. One has a 'pay what you can' table and I have donated as well as given a donation for something I can use. The current president of that guild and I belong to another much larger guild and we are trying to organize a similar table. I like the idea of someone 'disposing' of things that are left. I have no idea what happens to the leftovers at my guild.

As long as the free table is available at meetings it is a good idea. To do it at your quilt show is not good especially if you have vendors at your show. The vendors at quilt shows are there to offer your members and attendees a variety of quality merchandise, when the guild uses the show for their own garage sale, or free merchandise it cuts in to any profit your vendors make. Most guild show members and attendees are not aware of the expenses vendors have in order to vend at their show. As a former vendor in order to vend at a show I figured it would cost me a thousand dollars in expenses before I made anything. And that did not include any replacement cost of items sold. Sorry if this sounds like a soap box, just offering a little perspective.

I think this is a great idea. I am mot a part of a guild, as there isnt one local to me (closest one is the next town over, a 45 minute drive, and I no longer drive), but I have heard of guilds doing this. I think its a great way of finding homes for the scraps and fabrics you no longer need/want.

Have any of you had members that were in the "if it's free, I will take it home" category?

this is a good plan

One of the guilds I belonged to in Oregon had a free table, actually several long tables put together. (It was a very large guild.) People brought in their fabric, books, magazines, etc. and just dumped them on the table. Members stood around and took what they wanted. Often one person would be looking for a particular type of fabric, e.g. fabric with daisies, or children's fabrics, and everyone would help her search. It was a great way to socialize with the other guild members. I'm not sure what happened to the things left on the table - the person who brought things definitely did not have to take them home. Perhaps they were donated, perhaps tossed, but many (if not most) of the fabric found a new home. These were not necessarily large pieces of fabric, usually just scraps.

More good information. Many thanks. Our guild already has a yearly Silent Auction during one meeting, money going to the guild. People bring items they don't want, quilt tops they have abandoned, etc. The idea here is to not compete with that...just mainly scraps, left over pieces of WOF, etc.

Dina

This table is always very successful at our guild. I have found some great books and older fabrics there. There is NEVER anything left on the table. We have a member who uses unwanted fabric for pet beds for the shelters so that helps. You just never know what might appeal to anyone at any given time.
At least for us it is well worth it.

Yes we have one. It's evolved into some junky stuff in my opinion. Like I see OLD clothes patterns, non-cotton fabric, really out of date (in my opinion) fabric, etc. I think it's a great idea for our Modern Guild because there are a lot of newer quilters who don't have a lot already or a lot of money. Maybe if there were some rules about it? That junkier stuff just sits there and no one takes it. People are supposed to take their stuff back if no one takes it, but I see it still sitting there after the meeting.

The free table is a great addition to any guild meeting. It is a great place to socialize and the fabrics, etc, on it can provide a creative boost.

I recently backed a charity quilt with a 4 yard piece of fabric from the free table. Note that I am color challenged and was not able to determine the background color of the fabric. I was leaning toward black, husband thought black. My helpful guild members agreed that it was a deep green. The top was one piece, a soft gray/blue with large bouquets of dusty brown dried flower bouquets. Somehow, they looked great together -or- everyone was being nice to me!

I also made a few place mats for Meals on Wheels with large scraps and other peoples blocks off the free table.

So I wholeheartedly endorse the idea of a free table.

You bet! One of my Guild's has a free table where most things disappear, the other Guild has a free table that your are expected to give a "donation" for the item. You determine the size of the donation. It seems that the truly free table rarely has anything left. If there is it's the dumpster out back. The one that wants a donation, asks that you take it back home or get rid of it if it is left at the end of the meeting. But good fabric goes fast in both places.

The guild I spend my time with does this at our monthly meetings and it works. One can find fabric, kits from 30 years ago, knitting, garment patterns, crocheting materials, ribbon and books, books and more books. One of our leaders has become the unplanned recipient of mystery bags or boxes of quilting materials from members of the community. She brings this to our meetings so those who need materials can share the gifts left on her front step.

We don't set many rules. #1 is if it has not been taken by your quilt friends, then it is your responsibility to take it away at the end of the meeting. We also do this at our two retreats. I had sorting out fabrics that I knew I would never, ever, ever in a million years use. Took them to the retreat and Ta-Da! gals found "Just what I needed to finish......". Happy all around!

Our give away table is a boon to every one as long as we abide by our one rule. Oh, we have a small sub group that does quilts of valour and we leave red,white and blues for them to look at first. We often hear gals saying, "Oh, this looks like a color you would like, here, I'll take this one instead." Quilters can be such kind people.

This has been a huge success at our Guild. I am not sure that it has done anything for interaction of our members but it is a terrific way to share quilting related supplies and projects.

Our guild does this also.

I am in 2 quilt guild and they both do it. We also have the same rule. You bring it you take it home if no one claims it. I have found several really nice items on it. Someone brought a bunch of yarn one time. No one wanted it so I took it for my moms ladies club. They knit hats for babies and homeless. Also lots of charities.

We had one for quite awhile and it was great. Then no one wanted to deal with what was left at lock-up time. So, we discontinued it for awhile. |
Mariah

The sharing table seems like a nice idea. I could see where a lot of people would just be happy to swap like for like, too, especially those who do scrappy quilts. You might have to make a rule about minimum size of the pieces and whether or not they should be pre-washed.

I also can relate to the problem of clannish behavior, which I noticed in the very large guild I used to belong to before our move. My theory is that a lot of people who do a craft like quilting, where you can spend hours and hours by yourself perfectly content, are by nature more introverted. Making new friends costs a bit of an effort, and it's often just easier to hang out with the closest buddies. As a new person I remember trying to take an empty seat and being told that was saved for somebody. Another time I sat with people I didn't know and they acted as if I was interrupting when I tried to participate in the conversation by asking them about their quilting. Then most of what they talked about was personal gossip that an outsider could not possibly fit into. Clearly they would have been happier without a new person at "their" table.

If your guild wants to do something about this kind of behavior, you could assign numbers to the seats and after a few minutes require everyone in seat number 1 (or whatever) to switch to a different table, ideally one where they don't know anyone. Continue to do that every meeting. Mention the importance of trying to get to know people other than your bosom buddies, whom you might invite over for coffee and gossip on others days. I should mention that there were also a lot of very nice people in that guild who were much more welcoming.

Our guild has one we call Freecycle. The ladies in charge take what is left over to senior centers or donation centers.

Oh Yes.. We have a big Free Two Table setup. We have women in the guild that make entire quilts from the Free Table fabrics. They can well afford to buy new, but like me, they're Scrappy Quilters.

What's really nice is I often find just the right color of a fabric I need just a little of. So a free table is a tremendous resource too.