Participant Roles

In the Stash Bee, there are different roles that we all play as participants. This post will hopefully explain what is expected of participants and explain some of what we do behind the scenes to make sure that the Stash Bee runs smoothly. Please review if you are considering signing up for the Stash.


Hive Members
Everyone who is assigned a spot in the Stash Bee is a Hive Member. There are eleven (11) members assigned to each hive, each person is also assigned their month to be Queen Bee. Hive members are responsible each month to make the block of the Queen Bee's choosing and mail it on or by the last day of each month. Hive Members are responsible for meeting the expectations outlined here.

If a hive member is unable to make a block for a given month due to extenuating circumstances, they may request an Angel block by sending an email to their Hive Leader


Angels
Angels are participants who have signed up to help make blocks for other Hive Members who are unable to make their block due to extenuating circumstances. Any hive member can volunteer to be an angel block maker for the month and everyone is welcome to make multiple blocks for Queen Bees at any time.


Queen Bees
Everyone assigned to a spot in the Stash Bee will have one month where they are the Queen Bee, which means for this month they designate the block to be made by their fellow Hive Mates, and they receive blocks in the mail from all their Hive Mates to be sewn into a quilt.

Queen Bees are responsible for picking a block that meets the parameters outlined here, and preparing a tutorial for the blog, that follows the guidelines identified on the Resources & Tips page.

If someone is behind on their blocks for previous months, they are not allowed to take their turn as Queen Bee until they have completed all of their delinquent months' blocks.


Hive Leaders
Hive Leaders are the caretakers of each hive in the Stash Bee. There is one Hive Leader for each Hive in the Stash Bee and their month as Queen Bee is usually January. Hive Leaders are responsible for communicating with their hives on a regular basis (typically twice a month is sufficient) to keep everyone in the loop.

Hive Leaders are responsible for keeping track of which of their hive mates have posted blocks each month and should note if any were posted or mailed late. Angel Block requests are also sent to the Hive Leader who will work with the Bee Organizer to find a volunteer to make a block.

Any in-hive concerns should first be addressed to the Hive Leader who will then determine if the issue needs to be addressed with the Bee Organizer. Hive Members should feel free to address their concerns to the Hive Leader regarding block quality, fabric quality, the responsiveness of hive mates, promptness of hive mates, etc.


Bee organizer(s)
The person that oversees the entire Stash Bee is the Bee organizer. Since 2019 Alanna from @blanketfort.quilts and Laura from @laura4448 are sharing the role of the Bee Organizer.

The Bee Organizer manages sign-ups for the Stash Bee in the fall and assigns Hive Leaders and Hive members to each hive. The Bee Organizer communicates with the Hive Leaders on a regular basis to troubleshoot issues facing the bee at large. The Bee Organizer helps Hive Leaders with in-hive issues when requested. The Bee Organizer may also be a Hive Leader for one of the hives, and fills any vacancies within the hives should they occur.