Frequently asked questions

Threads On Kiwi embroiders a name or short text of up to 15 characters onto towels, hoodies and book covers. You choose the text, the thread colour, the font and where on the item it sits, and every piece is stitched to order in Christchurch.

No — we stitch names and text only, not custom artwork or logos. If you have something specific in mind it is still worth asking, but artwork is not something we offer through the website.

There are 9 thread colours: Black, Brown, Blue, Light Blue, Red, Green, Pink, Gold, White. You pick one when you personalise the item, and the product page shows your name in that colour before you add it to the cart.

Two: Bosskuy (script) and Bernard MT Condensed (block). The product page previews your text in the font you pick, so you can see how a long name sits before you order.

You choose the placement, and the options depend on the item.

• Towels: bottom-right corner, bottom-left corner, centre
• Hoodies: left chest, centre front, back

Yes. The product page shows a live preview of your text in the font, thread colour and placement you have chosen, and it updates as you change them.

The preview is a guide to layout and colour rather than a photograph of the finished stitching — thread has a sheen and a texture no screen reproduces.

Yes. Macronised vowels — ā, ē, ī, ō, ū — are stitchable and are accepted in the personalisation field, so te reo Māori names are embroidered correctly.

Not at the moment. You can order up to 20 of the same item in one go through the website, which covers most family and small-group gifts.

If you need more than that, email info@threadsonkiwi.co.nz and we will tell you honestly whether the studio can take it on.

No — we embroider our own towels, hoodies and book covers rather than items sent in. It means we know exactly how each fabric takes a stitch, and can stand behind the result.

Every piece is embroidered after you order, so nothing is picked off a shelf. Allow 1–3 business days in the studio, and then courier time on top.

Once your parcel leaves the studio, tracked courier delivery is 1–2 business days to urban addresses and 3–5 business days rural. You choose which of the two applies at checkout.

Shipping is free on orders over $125, including to rural addresses. Below that, your shipping is calculated at checkout before you pay, so there is never a surprise at the end.

No — Threads On Kiwi ships within New Zealand only. Everything is made and sent from the studio in Christchurch.

Every order goes on a tracked courier, and the tracking number is emailed to you when your parcel leaves the studio.

If it has not arrived when you expected it, reply to that email or write to info@threadsonkiwi.co.nz and we will chase it.

Email info@threadsonkiwi.co.nz as soon as you can. Because each piece is stitched to order we start quickly — if the embroidery has not begun we can change or cancel it, and once a name has been stitched the item cannot be altered or resold.

Email info@threadsonkiwi.co.nz with your order number and we will put it right. Faults, transit damage and anything we got wrong are always covered, personalised or not.

Checkout accepts:

• Visa, Mastercard and American Express
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Afterpay

All prices are in New Zealand dollars. Threads On Kiwi is not GST registered, so no GST is added at checkout — the price you see on the product page is the price you pay, plus shipping if your order is under the free-shipping threshold.

No. Each piece is embroidered individually, so twenty of them is twenty pieces of work rather than a single print run — the price per item is the same however many you order.

Wash cold on a gentle cycle, skip the fabric softener, and air dry where you can. In full:

• Wash cold — 30 °C or below, on a gentle cycle.
• Turn the item inside out where it allows, and wash with like colours.
• Wash separately for the first wash — new towelling sheds and can transfer colour.
• Mild detergent only. No bleach and no fabric softener: bleach attacks the thread, and softener coats the pile and is what actually stops a towel absorbing.
• Air dry for best results. Tumble dry on low if you need to — it is high heat that puckers embroidery.
• Iron on low, inside out, never directly on the stitching, with a cloth between the iron and the fabric and no steam over the embroidery.
• Snip a loose thread, never pull it.

The design is stitched, not printed, so there is no transfer to crack or peel and the colour is the thread itself rather than something sitting on the surface. Washed as above, it outlasts the item it is on.

If a stitch ever does work loose, snip the thread flush rather than pulling it, and email us if it looks like more than a stray end.

Not for a change of mind. A towel with someone's name on it cannot be sold to anyone else, so personalised pieces are outside the change-of-mind returns most shops offer.

Faults, transit damage and mistakes we made are a different matter and are always covered. Ready-made items that have not been personalised can be returned unused — email us and we will arrange it.

We remake it. Email info@threadsonkiwi.co.nz with your order number and a photo, and we will restitch the piece or refund it — a name spelled the way you did not ask for is our error, not a return.

Email info@threadsonkiwi.co.nz. The studio is in Christchurch and the inbox is watched Mon–Fri 9am–5pm — you will get an answer from the person who does the stitching.