Bundle Alterations in Carmichael

What counts as a bundle

Three or more garments handled in the same intake session, scoped at the same time, finished as a single delivery. The garments do not have to be identical — a bundle can mix a jacket waist suppression, two trouser hems, and a dress alteration — but they have to come in together and leave together. The discount comes from the workflow efficiency, not from individual garment discounts; if you bring one garment now and two more next week, that is three separate jobs at standard rates.

Common bundle types

Capsule wardrobe refresh — typically six to ten garments of the same type, hemmed and taken in to a consistent set of measurements. Post-weight-change reset — the entire closet sorted into "keep and alter" and "donate", with the keeps coming through together. Seasonal switchover — when the warm-weather wardrobe needs different fit considerations than the cold-weather one. Travel bundle — every garment for an upcoming trip altered at once. Family bundle — multiple household members' clothes in one intake, often before a vacation, holiday, or family event.

When NOT to bundle

Bridal is not a bundle — see the bridal alteration page for the three-fitting schedule. Custom clothing M2M projects are also not bundled — each custom garment has its own measurement and fitting timeline. Leather, fur, and suede work is generally priced individually because the material risk per garment is too high to discount.

How the bundle intake actually works

You bring everything to one appointment. We block 60–90 minutes depending on bundle size. We look at every garment first to confirm scope and pricing before any pinning starts. Each garment is then pinned in sequence, with you trying each one on with the shoes and undergarments it will be worn with. We photograph each garment on the body in the pinned state. The whole intake produces one written estimate covering the entire bundle with line-item pricing — no surprises later.

Sewing happens at the studio in a planned sequence over the week or two following intake. We keep the bundle together physically — one rack, one project tag, one set of notes — so the work does not get fragmented across the studio. When all garments are finished we contact you to schedule the combined try-on; you come in once, try everything on, and the bundle goes home with you. If anything needs a tweak it is held back for a second pass and the rest still leaves with you the same day.

Pricing in a bundle

Each garment is priced at its standard alteration rate. The bundle discount of 10–20% is applied at the bundle level once the intake confirms the count and complexity. Bundles of three garments typically see a 10% discount; bundles of six or more typically see 15–20%. The discount comes off the labour, not off the materials — if your bundle includes a zipper replacement and we need a new zipper, that part is at cost regardless.

Rush bundles are possible but expensive — the 48-hour rush surcharge applies to the whole bundle, not per garment, and at a fixed multiplier rather than the per-garment rush rate. We rarely recommend rushing a bundle because the combined try-on is harder to fit into a tight window than a single garment.

How to prepare your bundle

Bring everything on hangers, in a garment bag, or in a clean clothes basket. Make sure each garment is wash-clean — we cannot work on items that have not been cleaned recently if the work involves opening the lining or pressing across stained areas. Bring the shoes you wear with each item; this matters more for bundles than single garments because the foot height interaction with multiple hems is non-trivial.

Tag each garment with what you want done if you have specific instructions. A sticky note that says "hem to flat shoes" on one trouser and "hem to heels" on another saves five minutes per garment at intake and removes any chance of crossing wires. For colour-coding, a piece of masking tape on the hanger works fine — you do not need fancy tags.

Real bundle examples

A new Sacramento resident moving from a colder climate brought ten cool-weather garments to be adjusted to local heat — sleeve shortenings on jackets, neckline adjustments on heavier dresses, weight redistribution on a wool coat. Single intake, two-week turnaround, one combined try-on. A Folsom couple who had both lost weight together brought their respective wardrobes for matching waist suppression across his and hers. Family bundle from a Roseville household before a European trip — five family members, twelve garments, one Saturday intake and a coordinated pickup before departure.

Care after the bundle

Treat freshly altered garments gently for the first wear or two. Hang on shaped hangers. Spot clean rather than full-cleaning newly stitched seams for the first few weeks. If anything feels off in the first wear — a hem that catches, a waist that creeps when you sit — bring it back; bundle warranty covers minor adjustments for 30 days at no additional cost.

Seasonal bundles and the Sacramento wardrobe

Sacramento's climate makes seasonal bundles particularly useful. The spring-to-summer switchover is the year's biggest — heavier wool trousers need lighter weight cousins ready, jackets need to be lined or unlined depending on the wearing temperature, and the dresses pulled out of storage need a once-over to make sure they still fit after the winter months. Customers who batch their seasonal wardrobe work into two bundles per year (one in late March, one in late September) tend to save the most relative to one-off alteration trips.

A typical spring bundle for a Sacramento professional: three pairs of trousers re-hemmed to a slightly higher break (summer hems sit shorter so the cuff catches less heat-bound moisture), two jackets unlined or partially de-lined, three shirts taken in slightly if the winter-to-spring transition involves any weight change, two dresses pulled out from storage and refreshed. Eight to ten garments, one intake, one delivery, and the entire summer wardrobe arrives ready in two weeks.

Bundle warranty and the first wear period

Every bundle leaves the studio with a 30-day adjustment window: anything that needs a tweak after the first wear is brought back at no additional cost. This is not a generic "if you do not like it" guarantee — it is targeted at the small inevitable adjustments that show up only once a garment has been worn through a real day. A trouser hem that catches when sitting in a particular car. A jacket waist that feels slightly tight after a heavy meal. A dress hem that hits two millimetres differently with a slightly different shoe than the one used for fitting. These are normal and they are handled inside the 30-day window without further charges.

Outside of the 30-day window, return adjustments are billed at standard rates. The 30 days starts from the day you walk out with the bundle, not from intake — so a bundle delivered three weeks after intake still has a full month of warranty after delivery. Customers who travel after picking up the bundle (often the case for our travel-wardrobe customers) keep the warranty until 30 days after their return, provided we know the travel dates at pickup.

Business and team bundles

We work with small businesses on uniform programs — restaurant teams, dental offices, salons, boutique hotels — where a coordinated alteration program saves the business significant money compared to staff each going to a tailor individually. The intake happens on site at the business; we measure and pin everyone in sequence; the work is completed at the studio and delivered back. Each team member gets their name on the garment tag so the right altered uniform reaches the right person at the end. Pricing for business bundles is custom-quoted and depends on team size, frequency of repeat work, and complexity per uniform. Contact us if you have a business uniform need.

Frequently asked bundle questions

Can the bundle include different alteration types? Yes — that is the whole point. Hem some, take in others, replace zippers on a few, repair seams on the rest. Can the bundle include items from different sources? Yes — garments from any retailer, any era, any condition (provided they are sound enough to alter). Can my partner and I bundle our garments together? Yes, that counts as one bundle and gets one discount. Do I have to commit to the full bundle at intake? Effectively yes — the discount applies because we are committing the studio time. If you change your mind on a garment after intake we will refund the labour minus a small re-planning fee. Get in touch to plan your bundle visit.