How to set up a Quilt Discovery Day
by Carol Henry

There has been a lot of discussion on quilt documentation. We all know why documentation is important, not to mention fun, gratifying, interesting, exciting, and exhausting. Now we need to know how to set up a Discovery Day. I will be doing a few articles on the subject and I hope it will answer questions you might have on preparing and setting up a Discovery Day.

First you need quilts. Silly as this sounds, you have to publicize the information such as, place, day and times for people to bring their quilts. Even if you have many guild members that want to have their quilts documented, you really should let the public know. It might be nice to have a trial run with only your guild members’ quilts, but don’t stop there. Go beyond your groups’ quilts and offer this service to the public. Depending on your local, put up a notice in quilt shops, fabric stores, newspapers, radio, or anyway you can think of to invite the public to bring their quilts. Be creative. You might consider taking appointments if there seems to be a large number of quilts. I suggest you limit the number of quilts each person can bring, say five.

Second, you need someone that has the ability to organize. This does not need to be a quilter. If I were to set up a Discovery Day, I would ask my husband to take charge. He is very good at the details, the follow thru, the setting up. We all know people like this. Now is the time to make them happy by putting them in charge. Organized people love to organize things. Tell them what you need and stand back.

Third, a good location is important. It would be best if it was on ground level, no steps. Many times individuals cannot manage stairs. You will need tables, chairs, lights, forms, clip boards, pencils, gloves, reference books, a place to take pictures of the quilts and volunteers. Find a place with enough room to accommodate all your needs. Make a floor plan to establish the different stations, just to be sure the room is large enough. Most places have tables and chairs. Bring clean sheets or fabric to cover the tables. Even if the tables are in wonderful condition it is best to cover them. Secure the cloth to the table. Have good lighting, especially for the examination of the quilts. Use the Quilt Index forms. You can never have enough pencils, so have lots on hand, plus more than one pencil sharpener. Have gloves for the workers, just like a quilt show. I suggest volunteers limit jewelry and make-up as both can ruin a quilt. The more reference books, the better. You will be faced with designs you have never seen before, so provide any and all the reference material you can find.

Fourth, you need volunteers. However you choose to schedule the workers, it is important to make them understand they are workers and not there to have their own quilts documented. This sounds rather unkind, I mean if someone is working for free, why can’t they have their quilts documented? Because they are there to work. If volunteers are busy having personal quilts documented, there will be no one to help the public. If you have a practice Discovery Day in your guild, that is the time for volunteers to bring their quilts. During the practice day volunteers can become familiar with the forms as well as having their quilts documented. Practice will also give you information on how to set up stations, greeting, filling out forms, documentation, pictures and turning in the quilts. Of course, feeding and watering volunteers is important so have an area with drinks and goodies out of the way of the public. It should be a place for volunteers to relax and enjoy a moments rest.