scheduling your quilts

[alcote]

I would like some different ideas about how other people schedule their quilts as they come in. I have been longarming for 3 years now and usually quilt as they come in which was OK with getting 3-4 a week. Now I get 3-4 a day! I have special customers who I feel I should do their quilts faster, but this is now impossible. I also own a quilt store and sometimes the staff will take quilts in and promise them to customers earlier than I can do them. I appreciate that business has taken off, BUT! HELP with the scheduling.What are some of the wait times that others give their customers and how do they keep track? Thanks.

[JoleneK]

I also owned a quilt store and the method we used was all quilts were put on the calendar as they came in at the last date available:

August 21 - Ms. so & so, e2e

August 22 - Ms. whoever, custom 2 days

August 23 - Cont. Ms. whoever

August 24 - Ms. Whats her name - 2 quilts both e2e

August 25 - Cont. Whats her name - 2 quilts both e2e

I found a weekly calendar works best so I could see at a glance what the week looks like and also if I'm scheduling time off or whatever I can see it quickly. This method also allowed my staff to know when the soonest would be for quilting to be completed. I also instructed my staff to not give a customer a time frame, but that I would call them to discuss the particulars with them. Now I would tell the customer the quilt should be ready the week of (fill in the blank) and not a set day. Hope this helps.

[Mary Beth]

I have a white board that I number with all of the customer's names in the order the quilt came in. Then I put a date next to their name...that is an estimated date of completion. I am a visiual person so if I can look up and see where I am it sometimes lights a fire under me to get moving!

[ffq-lar]

I fit quilting in around the day job so my solution won't work for a full-timer.

I determine how many quilts I can manage in a month--right now it is 8 per month. When I get a call I see if the waiting period suits them and then book them for a specific month. This gives me a (false) feeling of control since I get to decide the order for the monthly group! If someone has a deadline or a preference, I can move them to the head of the line, but only in the month they have booked. Like I said--it's a false feeling of control!!

I have been passed up because of my wait time, but I also have people booking a month when they haven't started the quilt yet! They say my deadline helps them finish projects--too much pressure, I say!

My only other suggestion would be that all your booking is done in one place--that is, all info is on one calendar so you are not over-booking as several people book for the same time. It sounds like you are very successful and I wish more good fortune to you and your business.

[lyonden]

I add a persons name to the bottom of our list. I have the following info on the list. Date received, customer name, phone number, where we got the quilt, (quilt store name or pick up or whatever), what they want on the quilt, date completed, quilting charge, receipt number, payment amount received, date received payment, type of payment (check, cash etc.), We work right down the list. We find this is fair for everyone. We do have a charge for expediting a quilt. This year thoughk, we refused expediting thru May and June and November and December. I figure people have 12 years or more to get the quilts done for graduation and Christmas comes the same time each year for everyone.

[Laura Farnham]

I take them in as they come, and let the customer know that I quilt in the order in which they are recieved. I figure how much time it will take to finish each quilt and and calculate how long of a wait list I have. (currently @ 3 months out)

That's about as far out as I'd like to get. I have one customer that has 25 quilts planned this year! As she finishes each quilt, she just brings it in so it can get in line behind the last quilt. So far, everyone is willing to wait. Good luck!

Laura

[Lisa Mullins]

I too use a calendar and even though I just got my Millie in April, I have a back up through the next month. So the calendar really helps me plan. I also do start to finish quilting and embroidery so that can be time consuming. I can often fit it just quilting jobs in between the piecing work that I do. I run the embroidery machine at the same time as my Millie. It helps with the time crunch process. I have found that I either estimate way too much time for a project or too little, so that seems to even out in the end.

Good luck and have fun!

[alcote]

Thanks everyone for all the great hints. I am doing most of them already so maybe just need to fine tune and get to work. One other thing I would like to share. I have started selling Hemingworth Embroidery thread in the store, but also use it on my Millie, and I love it. It quilts like butter! It comes in 1000m spools with a unique plastic cover system that prevents tangles of threads when not in use. It comes in 300 colors including varigated and is made of poly. Knock on wood... I have not touched my tension in months since using it. I also get my longarm customers to select the thread they want from the display and charge them for the thread, and they get to keep the rest of the spool. This helps sell a lot of thread and keeps me HAPPY. ( I still like Superior thread too.)

[Fernview Cottage Aust]

I'm like ffq-lar - I also just book quilts for a particular month. usually Book max of 2 custom quilts and about 12 E2E.

That way I can do them in whatever order I like. If i have 2 or more quilts that have the same E2E design I tend to do them straight after each other (even if they are planned for the next month) saves time in rolling up pattern and setting out a new pattern.

It works for me. If I get ahead of myself as my quilting time depends on how busy my DH is as he works for himself too, plus I have 2yr old twins. If I get ahead then I bring other quilts forward from the next month and then are able to book more quilts in for that month. Currently I am booking 3 months ahead for E2E and 6 months for custom. Lots of my customers book ahead when they are planning or part way through a quilt to save on their wait time.

[Sandra Darlington]

I work full time and I don't have a business, but I do get requests to quilt (piece and quilt) for people - usually just family and a few close friends and I have a backlog of my personal quilts to quilt.

I use a book with a monthly view over the two page spread. I schedule quilts according to when people need them, balanced with when the request came in. I also schedule my own quilts and quilted "presents" in there, too. I like to be organized and this seems to be the only way I can stay on track. Right now I have quilts scheduled up to Christmas. I schedule around my vacation plans and other family events where my weekends are too busy to quilt. I also schedule time for the gym and time for hair appointments, and medical appointments, etc. Because my time is limited, I like to schedule everything in my book so I can get a true sense of what I need to do and when to do it.

Do I stick to this schedule? Mostly