Most orders in an Indian tailoring shop arrive with the cloth already bought. That shifts the risk onto you, and this is how to take the order so it does not.
The Risk Nobody Writes Down
When you sell the cloth, a mistake in cutting costs you the cloth. When the customer brings it, a mistake costs you the cloth plus their trust plus an argument about what a metre of it was worth — and they will name a figure you have no way to check.
That is the whole problem with customer-supplied cloth, and it is not solved by being careful at the cutting table. It is solved at the counter, in the four minutes before you accept the order.
Measure the Cloth Before You Accept the Order
This is the single habit that prevents most disputes. Open the piece on the counter, measure it, and say the figure out loud in front of the customer.
Measure two things. The length, which is what she thinks she bought, and the usable width, which is what actually decides whether the garment can be cut. A piece sold as three metres is often 2.85. A piece sold as 44-inch is often 42 after the selvedge and the printed border.
If it is short, say so now. "Ma'am, this is 2.8 metres. For this design with the full sleeve and the lining I need 3.1. I can do it with a short sleeve, or you can bring another half metre." That is a conversation. The same sentence after cutting is a fight.
What to Write on the Order Slip
Every customer-cloth order should carry these lines. They take thirty seconds and they end arguments.
- Cloth received — length and width, as you measured it
- Cloth type — cotton, silk, georgette, chiffon, denim, whatever it is
- Condition on arrival — any stain, hole, fade or crease mark you can see, described plainly
- Sufficiency — enough, just enough, or short, and for which design
- Who supplied the lining — you or her, and how much
- What comes back — whether she wants the leftover pieces returned
The last one matters more than it sounds. Customers who bought expensive cloth often want the cuttings back for a matching blouse or a child's frock. Ask, and put the answer on the slip. An order slip printed from the system with these fields on it is easier than remembering to write them, which is why most shops that fix this problem fix it once and then stop thinking about it.
Cloth Requirements, So You Can Say It at the Counter
These are working figures for a 44-inch width, average adult size, without heavy pattern matching. Use them to answer "is this enough?" without going to the back of the shop.
- Blouse, short sleeve — 0.8 to 1 m
- Blouse, full sleeve or with lining — 1.2 to 1.4 m
- Kurti, knee length — 2 to 2.3 m
- Salwar kameez set — 2.5 m for the kameez, 2 to 2.5 m for the salwar
- Churidar — 2.5 m, more than a salwar because of the gathers
- Petticoat — 2.2 to 2.5 m
- Gents shirt, full sleeve — 2.2 to 2.5 m
- Gents trouser — 1.2 to 1.4 m
- Nightie, full length — 3 to 3.5 m
- Frock for a child under ten — 1.2 to 2 m depending on age
Add 10 per cent for a large size, 15 per cent for a striped or checked cloth where the pattern must match at the seams, and 20 per cent for a one-way print. Our post on how much cloth each garment needs goes into the widths other than 44 inches.
Cloth That Will Cause Trouble
Cloth that has not been washed
Most handloom cotton and most cheap rayon shrinks. If she has brought unwashed cloth for a fitted garment, tell her it may come up 3 to 5 per cent in the first wash, and either pre-shrink it or leave extra in the seams. Write on the slip which of the two you did. Our note on testing whether the cloth shrinks covers the quick method.
Cloth with an existing fault
Hold it up to the light before accepting. Weaving faults, a thin patch, a colour run along one edge — all of these will be blamed on you. Point them out at the counter and note them on the slip. You are not accusing her of anything; you are recording what arrived.
Cloth she has had cut somewhere else
Sometimes a piece arrives already cut by another shop that made a mistake. Take it if you can, but price it as a repair job, not a fresh stitch, and say that clearly. The work is harder and the result will be compromised.
Charging for Customer-Supplied Cloth
Your stitching charge does not change because she brought the cloth. What changes is everything you would otherwise have bundled in silently.
List them as separate lines: lining if you supplied it, interlining, canvas, zip, buttons, hooks, padding, elastic, and the thread if it is a colour you had to buy. Each is a small amount and together they are often a fifth of the bill. A customer who sees them itemised accepts them. A customer who sees one larger number asks why the stitching costs more than the shop down the road.
Charge the same rate you would for your own cloth. If you want to encourage customers to buy cloth from you, do it with a discount on the cloth, not a penalty on the stitching — the second one just sends them to a different tailor.
Storing It Until the Order Is Cut
Customer cloth sitting loose in the shop is a liability. Bag it, label it with the order number, and keep it in one place. Do not keep it on the floor, near the iron, or near the tea.
The failure that costs most is not damage — it is mixing up two pieces of similar cloth for two customers. When both orders are cut, neither is recoverable. One labelled bag per order, always, and the label carries the order number rather than the name, because two customers can share a name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I charge more for stitching customer-supplied cloth?
No. Charge your usual rate and itemise the materials you supplied — lining, interlining, zip, buttons, thread. That is where the cost sits, and customers accept it when they can see it.
What do I do if the cloth is short after I have accepted the order?
Stop and call the customer before cutting. Offer the alternatives — a shorter sleeve, a contrast yoke, a different neckline, or another half metre. Cutting first and explaining afterwards is how a short piece becomes a lost customer.
Who pays if the cloth is damaged in my shop?
You do, which is why the condition on arrival goes on the slip. It settles what was already there and leaves only what actually happened in the shop, which is a much smaller argument.
Should I return the leftover cloth?
Ask at the counter and write down the answer. Many customers want the cuttings for a matching piece and are annoyed to find them gone. Returning them costs you nothing and is remembered.
Where Juvee Helps
The order slip carries the cloth length, the width, the condition on arrival and whether the leftovers go back — so it is on the record rather than in someone's memory. Materials you supplied sit as separate lines on the bill. Juvee's Basic plan is free with no time limit, and paid plans start at ₹10,190 a year including GST; the pricing page lists them all.