SET-UP and TAKE-DOWN CHAIR
-Attend quilt show Committee meetings as scheduled by the QS Chair(s).
-Keep any purchases within your pre-determined budget amount. Do not make any purchase in excess of the predetermined budget without prior approval of Show Chair.
-Determine and coordinate with Hostess/Sign-up Chair how many shifts need to be covered for loading equipment, set-up and quilt hanging, and Take-Down.
Since BPQ is a 501c3, if additional hired help is necessary, set-up/take-down work hours count as“Community Service”. A time/work confirmation must be sent to High School. Past year, we have had very good experience with Girl Scouts (contact person: BPQ member Becky Kraus: 425‐643‐7178).
-3 weeks prior to Set-Up day, reserve a 15’-bed rental truck at Issaquah Mini Storage. Reserve early, and at the same time, reserve the truck for Sunday take-down. They have only one 15’ truck, but for a good rate (paid 2011: $28.60/day incl. tax).
-Ask volunteers who signed up for pinning the quilts to bring 2 or more safe 5-step A-ladders to hang the biggest quilts with the plastic hangers.
-Make a list of equipment as a truck loading order: In general, what goes in first - comes out last. Odds and ends on the sides. Boutique stuff very last. Use the hardware list provided by Layout Chairto count out the needed hardware, plus a few extras, in case something breaks, or changes occur.
-The day before set-up day (late afternoon), get the keysfor the truck. Issaquah Mini Storage’s office hours: Mon - Sat: 9:00am - 6:00pm and Sundays: 9:00am - 1:00pm. The rental time is 24hrs from key possession.
-1-2 days before Set-Up day, remind your early morning loading crew of the meeting time, place, address.
-Set-Up day: Meet volunteers at the gate (7:15-7:30 am), drive up to the unit with the rental truck to the BPQ unit and start loading.
Aim for arrival at QS location (currently ICC) by 8:30 – 8:45am.
-Unloading - Very important: Gather all helpers and explain briefly the process.Use your loading order list and assign ONE person as the “gate keeper” who counts and keeps track how much equipment goes where. The Layout Chair will be present for questions.
A 3-pile hardware deposit system for loading and unloading the truck, and the reverse process at take-down has proven to be the fastest and least confusing method to do set-up/take-down.
The three piles are:
- 2 for the two main layout areas on the main floor
- 1 for upstairs, to be carried up right at unloading.
- Everything else (boxes with sheets, tools, entry table, hanging supplies) gets piled about mid-wall.
- Boutique stuff goes straight to the back wall to the Boutique area.
-At set-up day morning 8 am the building will be opened. Before the hardware arrives, the Layout Chair and a helper or yourself (if you have delegated the truck loading) startmarking the floor, measuring the exact starting points of each first standard of the linked-together rows or sections.
NOTE: all Equipment must fully clear at least a 20’ space from the wall (10’ for vendors, 10’ walk way).Mark with atape X the middle of the standard, making sure the physical clearance of 20’ from the wall is given.
-Tape one highlighted copy to the floor at each section-starting standard.
-When finished with set-up by around 10:30 am, ask the QS Chair(s)if excess items should be returned to the storage with the rental truck. Fill up truck with gas and return keys to the Issaquah Mini Storage’s office, -there is no rush, since the truck rental time is 24hrs from key possession.
-Organize and supervise set-up of BPQ standards on the main floor and gallery according provided Layout.Gather all helpers and explain briefly the process before you start. Some helpers may have difficulty to understand the layout. The Layout Chair will be present for Q&A.
-All second floor (gallery) standards go along walls. Make sure to cover up the fitness equipment area, butdo not cover any windows, - he building needs all possible daylight.
-Set up 3pinning stationsat main floor,1pinning stationupstairs in the space close to the elevator. Gather all pinners and explainthe process before you start. Some pinners may need a full demonstration of one quilt pinned and hanged. Form teams of 3 or 4 people for hanging of quilts. Appoint a team leader, based on hanging experience in previous year. (pinning instructions, see separate page)
-Get one person of the team to retrieve quilts bags for this section only from the Drop-Off Chair (quilt receiving). Thequilt ###’sare on the highlighted layout copy provided by the Layout Chair.
-Be available during the hanging of the quilts for questions, and keep checkingeach quiltfor the correct assigned space according layout. It’s easier to correct mistakes when the teams are still working.
-Explain that sheets have different sizes and are (supposedly) marked, choose according width of crossbar in Layout:
Full (yellow)7’ cross bar, or 2 on 9’-10’ cross bars
Queen (blue)8’ cross bar
King(red)9’ cross bar
Calif. King(green)EXTRA tall for 9’ tall x 9’ cross bar
-Send one helper to get all quilt bagsof one sectionback to the Drop-Off Chair /quilt receiving.
-Assign a team of 2 people to affix story sheets. There is no rule for right or left, just make sure it’s easy assignable to the quilt, straight, about 5’2” up (provide a piece of wood in exact length). Avoid story sheets pinned onto the quilt, that’s only a last resort.
-Organize to fill up empty spaces/“NO-Show-Quilts” with representative RMH quilts, ask Kids Korner Chair for a generic RMH story sheet to hang with the quilt to make sure, visitors recognize them as ‘non-voting’ quilts
TAKE-DOWN
-Determine and coordinate with Hostess/Sign-up Chair how many volunteers are needed to cover the take-down of the quilt show.
If external help is necessary, try to hire the Girl Scouts again (see set-up).
-Pick up rental truck at Issaquah Mini Storage office, and park the truck outside the in the loading bay. TIP: To avoid that a vendor sneaks in and blocks that door, park one of your private cars in the early morning as a “space holder”.
-Break-down of the QS: it’s important to take a few minutes and gather all helpers to explain briefly the process.
Explain the safe take-down of all quilts first: Every helper makes sure
- a quilt never touches the floor
- NO pins are left on a quilt
- quilts get folded properly
- story sheets are in the quilt bag (and participation ribbon, if we have one)
- each quilt is in the correct bag according entry number.
-Quilt bags get transferredto Drop-off/Pick-up Chair/quilt receiving.
-Take down sheets and hardware breakdown and sorting of the standards close to the loading door. Make sure not to impact vendor’s take-down.
-Set up a “Sheet Monger Center”:
- have 3 pairs of people for folding and sorting
- gather all sheet boxes
- set up a flat table space (alike as for pinning).
-When all hardware, sheets, other supplies are gathered close to the exit, supervise systematic loading. Remember, what goes in first comes out last at the storage, - which is a tight space, and it’ll be fairly dark while unloading.
-Instruct helpers for the unloading of BPQ standards into storage unit. Ask theEquipment Chairfor help to ensure all equipment is returned to its assigned space.
-Fill up truck with gas and drop keys in the drop box at the Issaquah Mini Storage, but there is no rush, the truck rental time is 24hrs from key possession.
-Within 2 days of show end: If paid help was used, submit name and addresses of teenagers/helpers, type and amount of payment due to QS Chair.
-Deliver a final report to QS chair prior to or at the quilt show wrap-up meeting. This report should include all expenses incurred, give a brief summary of any concerns, and make suggestions for future improvements to this position (2 printed copies or preferably in Word.doc)
PINNING INSTRUCTIONS
-Set up each pinning station witha combination of 3- 3’x6’ tables (preferable 6’x3’ size), or two 8’-tables parallel.
-Wipe all tables very clean(alt. covered with brown paper, - but keep in mind, it’s much easier to pin on a clean, blank table than brown paper, the paper might be caught during the pinning process).
Provide demo of at least one full example quilt
-To pin quilts, use every other cross bar. Since each cross bar will sit on the previous cross bar the alternating pattern ensures no cross bar will be placed slanted. Spacers are available for odd ends.
-First, check the correct quilt ### for the space.
-Determine which side up, top of the quilt, and will it be pinned to the sheet or will it hang from the top with plastic hangers?
-Pin with straight pins about every 5”– 8” apart, - not closer- it takes way too long to put it up and take it down later, - not wider- the weight of the quilt will make it look sagging.
-Pin front and back quilt while it’s still on the pinning table. The sheet including the first quilt must be turned. Avoid pinning the back quilt thru the front quilt, making sure to catch the sheet only.
-Measuring sticks will help to find the right height on the sheet while the quilt lies on the tables. They are also good to space the quilt evenly to the sides.
The middle of the quilt should be about 5’2”, - standing in front of the quilt (middle = think an imaginary x on the quilt).
-Check straightness and pleasing placement for multiple quilts on one sheet.
-Always keep in mind thespace for the story sheet, usually attached to the right next to the quilt. This means, most quilts will have to be placed a bit off-center.
-Full-sized quiltswill be hung with plastic clip-on hangers directly from the top of the cross bar.
Spacing: Place each plastic hanger with the same space as the space of the hanger itself. So, the actual holding clips are all about the same space apart.
-Use 2 people on ladders to hang quilts with the plastic hangers, and have one person standing on the floor keeping the weight of the quilt up until all hangers have been placed over the cross bar.
Updated by Lisa Jenni10/2/2018