The Progress Reports post series was born as a way to answer some of the frequently asked questions. Most of you know that sewing and alteration services are a regular offering here at Stacey Sansom Designs; it is what we do, but unfortunately, there are still endless questions about what is actually done when an item comes in for alterations.
The goal of the “Progress Report” series is to illustrate what Stacey Sansom Designs does when items come into the shop for alterations, repairs, or other services. This is a behind-the-scenes view of what is done and, to some extent, how and why. These posts are intended to describe items that come in, the services provided, and how the result is accomplished. This series is not all-encompassing and will only highlight some of the work. Progress Reports will not be a complete step-by-step instruction on how to complete an alteration task.
Progress Report Introduction
Conceptually, progress reports are to show how students or employees are performing based on set criteria. This can be the number of tasks completed or to show the level of performance. The easiest way to express what can be done at Stacey Sansom Designs is to show you the projects, how they are being completed, and the quality results.
Progress reports from Stacey Sansom Designs will only highlight the work done and are not intended to be all-inclusive.
How often will progress reports be give?
There is no set timeframe for progress reports. Work at Stacey Sansom Designs varies from day to day and week to week. Thus, the amount of time it takes to sit and churn out dedicated posts for each project is not something that can be committed to. It cannot be reliably done and keep things moving for the customer. The focus is to do high-quality work on every project by the requested due date.
Progress reports every week would be ideal. Realistically, Stacey Sansom Designs can only commit to end-of-month progress reports. These will highlight the work completed that month.
What if I have a question?
I will try to address some of the frequently asked questions as I highlight projects in each progress report. The hope is that it allows me an easy way to track questions and make sure they are being adequately answered for prospective customers. The only dumb questions are the ones that remain unasked. If I receive a lot of the same questions, they need to be addressed universally to prevent misunderstandings in the future.
There are some things that I do as a courtesy service, and these may be mentioned on our invoice. These may include technical terminology from the industry for things that I have checked or inspected. If you do not understand something on an invoice, please ask! I can quickly explain why it was important enough to provide it as a courtesy.
For example, I may report ” All hemlines are good,” when performing other alterations or repairs. I check hemlines for loose sections or broken threads. These become problems in the future, and I’ve already got the pants or skirt. Usually, it only takes me a few minutes to quickly repair a 1-2″ section of hem or patch a worn hole beside a pocket. These inspection tidbits help keep garments in good repair, and can reduce future costs.
What the progress reports are not
There will be no set outline for what will or will not be included in the progress reports, and there is no set schedule for timing or frequency. They will occur as time allows. They will also only happen with adequate projects to highlight.
They will only be highlights, not a listing of every project completed. If you are a customer and your project is not used, it is not personal. Most likely, it means I did not get quality pictures, especially before and after shots. Pictures are not taken of every project; there is not enough time to stage every item to look its best.