We are asked this question a lot and the answer usually depends on the customer.
Here is a general breakdown:
1. We get your order. Yay!
2. We either reach out for more information or we will send you a proof based on what you ordered (does not usually apply to wraps unless they are part of a larger order). For most orders, this happens within 1 business day.
3. Once we send you the proof, this is where your mileage may vary. Sometimes it's immediately approved, sometimes we don't hear from the customer for weeks, sometimes there are design revisions that need to be done, etc. This step can take as little or as much time as you need.
4. Once the proof is approved though, the vest is usually ready to ship within a week. If you want to expedite the process, we also offer a RUSH SERVICE
How to get the best results
A single thing that we've noticed helps the order progress quickly and smoothly is when the customer has a clear idea of what they want.
For example, order notes like:
On the center panel, I want the medical star with DO NOT PET above it and I'M WORKING below it stitched in a circle and the side panels should say SERVICE DOG and have the no contact symbols. All the text should be in white and the symbols in red.
or
On side panels it should read
Service Dog
Do Not Distract
Do Not Approach
It is extremely helpful when you type the text exactly as you want it to appear. This includes spelling and punctuation.
Order notes like "make it look girly" or "I want an ocean theme" will guarantee that you get a follow-up message asking what that looks like for you. An ocean theme could mean you want palm trees and seashells, or dolphins and sea turtles, or nautical items like an anchor, lighthouse or life preserver.
The same thing applies to choosing colors. If you tell me "I want a blue heart" does that mean you want baby blue? Dark blue? Bright blue? Teal Blue? Aqua blue? Help a girl out and either give me the thread color you'd prefer or a note like "whichever blue is closest to the blue cotton fabric".
Sometimes we don't always know though!
Don't get me wrong, if you don't know the specifics for your design or which colors to choose, I'm happy to help you! It just adds time to the process, which is perfectly fine if that is what you need.
If you REALLY don't know what you want, I might put you in touch with a vest designer. This is someone that works on graphic designs and can go through various color options and layouts a lot easier than I can because they are using a graphic program. It is infinitely easier for them to edit a design and show you examples where I need to create everything in stitches, remove parts of the design that are not needed for a digital mockup, copy what's left to create a simulated stitch preview, manually add elements like the approximate fabric colors for the backgrounds, send it to another program to update the proof, export that as a PDF, and then send it to you.
The point being, one way or another, we'll get you to where you need to be and once the proof is approved, the vest is generally ready to ship within a week. :)