[QUOTE=Chasezzz;7432512....Our group has grown to the point that the church provides us with rooms specifically for our use that are kept locked when we are not there (we have donated sewing machines so no one needs to bring a machine, our supplies and projects are safely stored between meetings, our completed projects are stored there pending delivery to their destination etc.).... [/QUOTE]
Chasezzz, I LOVE that your church is able to do this for you all!!
Our guild moved to a new location 2 years ago and the church has been very generous with a huge closet space for our fabric, batting, and tools; no machines though, or special room just for our use. We contribute each meeting with canned food for their Donation Food Pantry and they have been so supportive and grateful to have use there, it's amazing.
Yesterday we had over 21 members present. We sorted through the huge fabric donation from my mother's stash (she recently had a stroke and I had to close her apartment), a major undertaking. It added boxes and boxes to an already overflowing fabric collection for this group.
*We make rolls of binding at some of our meetings;
*some times we cut 4" or 5' or 6" squares for later incorporation into a top;
*sometimes we make a top from orphan blocks donated to us or leftover from other projects we did;
*sometimes we piece with BOM that the guild gives us each month specifically for this work;
*usually there is a small group layering quilts (ours are usually about 45 x 55-60", sometimes smaller for infants/children) which are then passed on to whoever is doing the quilting -- some are passed out at guild meetings, some are done by longarmer members, some are done on site by members of the charity group; some sew bindings on by machine at the meetings.
As you can see, with our large group, each quilt is often handled in many stages by several different members, each member doing their own preferred type of work on the quilts.
Our guild donated over 250 quilts last year, about average for us. They go to local domestic violence shelters, hospitals, group homes, American Legion, very occasionally to Habitat for Humanity, needy families from the news or member's information. We also have a special guild group that makes fabric bears and footballs for the local hospital.
The BEST suggestion I have to is arrange for your fabric and batting storage as quickly as possible! Lugging this stuff around, plus machines, tools, plus purses, lunch, and pillows to sit on to sew can be a bit of a pain for members who are getting older! Having the major part of your stash on site is the best help you can imagine.
Jan in VA