It definitely depends on the longarmer and also on the time of year. I find that I am crazy busy in April, May and June, and from September until Christmas. During these busy times I am booked solid for months.
Quilters are a generous bunch, always making their beautiful quilts and then giving them away as gifts. My clients keep me hopping, quilting bride and graduation quilts in the second quarter, and holiday quilts in the fourth quarter! I've already started getting in quilt orders for Christmas gifts. Usually my queue is filled by September.
I see no excuse for a work order to be on the bottom of any pile. That's an organizational issue.
I have been quilting for 40 years and I'm well aware of the time, energy, effort, and decisions that go into making each quilt. I consider taking in these quilts to be like taking care of someone's child. It's a huge responsibility and shouldn't be treated lightly.
When a client brings me her quilt, I add the quilt to my project plan as soon as I take it in. I can look and see what I have here, on paper, in one glance. I always have a current printed copy of that project plan on view in my workroom.
I also print out 2 work orders for each quilt with all the details. One goes home with the client so she knows what we agreed to (thread, design, price, due date, all my conatct information). The other work order gets pinned to her quilt top. That's what I use to tell me what to quilt on it and what thread to use!
The top and backing get folded neatly over an extra-wide padded drapery hanger and put in my workroom closet in the order it will be done. I can look in that closet and see what I have here, in reality, in one glance.
Not rocket science. But it works for me.