Not too long ago, I converted my office to be the storage space for all the inventory of Many Hands and Many Hearts. It is a room that a lot of the volunteers go in and out of to get various items. I thought I would let you see it for yourself.
There are two big bookshelves that the print fabric is all organized on. This one gets loosely organized around block drives. As a block drive is decided upon, we start stacking the fabrics on a shelf that correspond with that block drive. The second bookshelf holds a lot of minky, flannel, low volumes and some fabric that doesn't fall into any of the planned block drives. There is also a full shelf full of small chunks of fabrics that are used as scraps. It might all look like a lot of fabric, but 30 quilts a month require about a hundred yards of fabric.
There is a separate small bookcase that stores the solid fabrics. I cut up a lot of these for bindings. On the top, I tend to stack items that need to get organized into the bigger bookcases. My friend Janet usually organizes all the fabric. She is not a quilter so she feels she can help out in this way and free me up to do the sewing and quilting.
There is a fourth bookcase that has all the pre-cuts and bindings. I also stack all the panels I receive so I can go through them regularly to see if any inspire me. The bottom shelf is where all the miscellaneous bags of UFOs, kits, or stacks of blocks that need verified that they are complete before I send them out to volunteers to sew. This is one of the fun jobs I get to do.
Here are the stacks that make me smile. These are all finished quilts that are ready to be delivered. The adult and Veteran quilts are on the top. Any quilt with flannel or minky are stacked to the back. Below are the kids' quilts. Infant/Toddler, Elementary and then Tween/Teen. I can easily look and see where we need to focus next.
Here is the President of the organization. He supervises everything!
There are lots of corners and tops of bookcases where things are stored. These areas are usually a mess and we are working on finding some better containers for storage. The room is quite small and we are trying to stuff a lot in here. But so far it is working!
I think I have a pretty big stack of finished quilts to share the end of this week. I just need to photograph them and write the post.
Just know I appreciate all the support from you that is helping to make this venture a success!
11 comments:
Looks like a space that is full of possibilities! I'm glad you have helpers and an excellent Chairman of the Board!
It's a lot to keep up with! Keeping it organized is probably no small task.
Impressive! Are the rolls of binding precuts or do you (and the crew) cut them and roll them?
The President certainly has a lot to do. I can see how seriously he takes his position! Thanks for giving us a tour of the operation. It is amazing how many lives are touched through Many Hands Many Hearts!
Thanks for the behind the scenes peak. I love the way you have the finished quilts organized so it is easy to glance and see what is needed!
You're doing great! I'm glad you have so many friends nearby who can help you.
Thanks for sharing your organizational system. I have to say, your President definitely is good at self-care!!
A shout out to Janet. How wonderful that she works as your assistant and does a yeoman job of it. I always get a chuckle at her shoes peeking out from under the quilts in your photos. You've taken on a big job, but I'm guessing that you enjoy it so far and it's answering a real need. And then, of course, there are all the generous people donating in whatever way they can. It takes a village as they say. Many hands indeed.
Pat
Pat
Ahh, it's good to be the president! Thank you and all the volunteers that assist in these endeavors.
Wow! That quite the storage facility, Cynthia. SEW much good work coming out of that room!!
Where is the new sassy Vice President?
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