There are different types of meetings/tasks that must occur before during and after each meeting in order for the tachrichim to be completed and ready for use. These tasks include:
- Ordering. Fabric and sealable plastic bags are needed. We have found the 90" bleached muslin from dharmatrading.com to be the most cost effective material. We package each piece in a sealable plastic bag when it is cut out. The sewn piece is returned to the same bag for garment packaging. We use 1 gallon bags for the individual pieces and a 2 gallon bag for the entire garment.
- Cutting. This is usually a 2 person job. Laying out the pattern, cutting the pieces and packaging the cut out pieces with the apropriate insert.
- Sewing Meeting. You will need sewing machines for those that have and can use them, needle and thread for those that prefer to sew by hand, pins to match pieces, and an iron and ironing board. We have found the following tasks for this meeting to be helpful.
- Organizer. Someone who knows how the pieces need to be sewn and that can provide assistance to others in the form of assuring everyone has what they need.
- Packager. 1-2 people who are responsible for ironing completed pieces and packaging them neatly with the appropriate insert.
- Sewers. Everyone else who is sewing by machine or hand.
- Optional. As this is a holy mitzvah in order to keep the tone of the room to match the task at hand it can be helpful to have someone read psalms, a book on chevra kadisha practices or something equally inspiring.
- Extra. Periodically inventory needs to be taken to determine if supplies need to be purchased and what the inventory is. There also needs to be someone responsible for ensuring that completed garments get to where they are needed. These tasks can be handled independently or as part of an existing meeting.
Things for consideration that are not included in the above tasks are where the monies come from to purchase cloth and who should recieve the completed garments. These are both decisions that individual groups will need to decide upon.
Our group has received monies to purchase cloth from individual donors and our rabbi's discretionary fund. We then ensure that all members of our community can be buried in 'our' tachrichim at no cost to the family.
