How To Run a Successful Quilting Bee Group
Quilting Bee’s are great fun and a wonderful way to make new friends. They can however be daunting to the new quilter and so today I’m going to run through my tips and tricks for running a successful Quilting Bee group.
Quilting Bee Roles
There’s 3 roles in a quilting bee, they are:
(Group) Queen Bee – This is the person who is responsible for the administration of the Bee Group.
(Monthly) Queen Bee – This is the person who is setting what block will be made, in what size and the fabric palette for the specific month.
Worker Bee – These are the members that will be making blocks during the month for the Monthly Queen Bee.
Responsibilities of the Bee Roles
Each member of the Bee Group will rotate through being the (Monthly) Queen Bee and a Worker Bee. One member of the Bee Group will be the (Group) Queen Bee. Each role has different and overlapping responsibilities. For the Bee Group to be successful each member must understand and commit to their role.
(Group) Queen Bee
This person is responsible for the following:
- Coordinating the allocation of each month to a Bee Group member.
- Monthly reminders to the group about important dates such as block confirmation, fabric palette choices, shipping dates and the upcoming (Monthly) Queen Bee information.
- Coordinating with the (Monthly) Queen Bee in regards to block choice, fabric palette, postal address and confirmation that all blocks have been received.
- Troubleshooting any issues that may arise in the Bee Group.
- Being flexible with their Bee Group members and understanding when life inevitably throws a curve ball.
- Being respectful, courteous and kind to the Bee Group.
(Monthly) Queen Bee
This person is responsible for the following:
- Providing requested information to (Group) Queen Bee as per the timeframes established by the Bee Group.
- Selecting the block pattern, size of block and colour palette to be used by the Worker Bee’s in their allocated month.
- Being gracious and kind to their follow Bee Group members in regards to fabric selection, seam allowance, points and delays in shipping.
- Being respectful, courteous and kind to the Bee Group.
Worker Bee
This person is responsible for the following:
- Shipping their block on time to the (Monthly) Queen Bee.
- Using the requested colour palette for the (Monthly) Queen Bee’s block.
- Doing their best to be accurate in the sewing of their blocks.
- Updating the (Group) Queen Bee immediately if something arises that will impact on their ability to be a good Worker Bee.
- Being respectful, courteous and kind to the Bee Group.
SetTING Up THE BEE GROUP
When it comes to setting up the Bee Group it’s a bit of work at the start but then it should follow a gentle rhythm with each passing month. The following items need to be established within the Bee Groups:
- Monthly Queen Bee Allocation – which Worker Bee will be the (Monthly) Queen Bee for which month of the calendar.
- Block Selection – Establishing which blocks will be used for the Bee Group to choose from and what sizes will be acceptable.
- Shipping/Postage Cutoff Dates for Each Month.
- Emails for each of the Bee Group members.
- How often to expect an email from the (Group) Queen Bee.
- Whether the Bee Group will have a name.
- How many months it will run for.
- What to do if a block goes missing in the mail.
- Do you include little extras with the block when posting/shipping.
- What date all information from the (Monthly) Queen Bee needs to be supplied by.
- What to do if a Bee Group Member goes missing in action.
- What to do in the event of a global pandemic, or something similar, slowing down the postal service.
- Rules for how the Bee Group will respect and treat each other.
- What to do if someone doesn’t have the fabrics needed for the (Monthly) Queen Bee’s block.
- What’s the cut off for the (Monthly) Queen Bee to make changes to their request.
- Can Bee Group Members sew ahead if they know they’ll have a commitment that will interfere with their shipping/postage.
- What to do if someone needs to resign from the Bee Group.
- What to do if there’s an argument in the Bee Group.
Organisational Tip
I like to run a spreadsheet for my Bee Groups. I have a master list on the first sheet of the spreadsheet that has everyone’s names, email address, shipping address and month allocation.
I then have a sheet for each month of the Bee. On that sheet I have who the (Monthly) Queen Bee is, who the Worker Bee’s are, what block has been chosen, what size of block, how many each person is to make and what the fabric choice is.
I also then include a column that indicates if the person has shipped their block and if the (Monthly) Queen Bee has received it.
You may decide you need more or less information but this is a good place to start. To help you get your group in order you can download the template I use by clicking the button below or clicking here:
The Hardest Part of a Bee Group
Fabric selection. Seriously, this is the thing that will cause the most upsets. (This and someone flaking on their responsibilities.)
The rule that I always implement with any block swap or quilting bee is this:
Worker Bees must send a photo of their fabric pull for the block they are making to the (Monthly) Queen Bee for approval prior to making the block.
The (Monthly) Queen Bee then has the power to veto fabrics in the pull and (politely!) ask that the Worker Bee provide some more suggestions of alternative fabrics.
This is where it gets tricky. Pink is not pink to everyone, sometimes is salmon. So you have to be one of two things:
- Flexible, or
- Provide fabrics to your fellow Bee Group Members.
This is the key to happiness. If you cannot do either of these two things then a quilting bee may not be for you.
The expectation is not that Bee Group Members will be required to buy specific fabrics for each month’s blocks but that they can work from their stash as much as possible.
If you have your heart set on a certain type of fabric being used then the best thing to do is purchase the fabric and post it out to your fellow Bee Group Members. It’s only fair that if you want to be that specific and selective that you help shoulder the cost of it.
What to do if someone flakes
If 2020 taught us all one thing in life it’s this: life is unpredictable. We all sign up for things with the best of intentions and then life happens. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, an unexpected trip or illness something will happen at some stage to the Bee Group which will impact on a (Monthly) Queen Bee’s quilt top.
Unfortunately there’s not much that can be done about this so it all boils down to your attitude in dealing with it.
I like to recommend 3 things:
- Be polite. Whether you’re the one notifying that you’re going to be late or you have to drop out, or whether you’re the one who’s a block short because someone disappeared. Be polite. Politeness goes a long way in the world and it’s a rare commodity. Never forget that it could be you in the other position one day so treat them the way you’d hope to be treated if it was happening to you.
- Give the benefit of the doubt. In my experience people don’t start the day thinking “How can I make someone else’s life hell today.” They start the day with the best of intentions and then things go left of field. Always lean towards kindness when presented with someone who may appear to be a bit unreliable. However, there’s a small majority that are dealing with life by being selfish and that’s where #3 comes in:
- Know when to fold ’em. You’ve been polite, you’ve given a second chance and this person is still being a flake. It’s ok to ask someone to leave the group. It’s ok to not let someone have their turn at (Monthly) Queen Bee if they haven’t delivered on their previous commitments – just move their month to the back of the line so they’ve got an opportunity to improve on their reliability and others won’t miss out in the meantime.
At the end of the day it’s just a quilting bee. Things will happen, people will be people and the world will go on. Quilting Bee’s are a way to meet people and hopefully get a quilt top you love in the process. Hopefully I’ve given you the framework you’ll be able to use to have a successful quilting bee. If there’s anything you’d like to ask me that I might not have covered be sure to drop me a line.
