How long does embroidery really take? A realistic timeline from order to outfit

“The machine does all the work, doesn’t it?” That’s true for one step. Everything before and after is done by people, and that’s where the time goes.

How fast does the machine embroider?

Faster than you might think. We work with three industrial Melco machines, each with sixteen needles. They can reach up to 1,500 stitches per minute and have sixteen thread colours loaded and ready, without anyone having to change them.

A small, simple design takes five minutes. A large design with lots of filled areas and colour changes takes a few hours. If embroidery were all there was to it, your parcel would be with you tomorrow.

So where does the time go?

1. Ordering the clothing: a few days We deliberately don’t keep a large stock. We order each item especially for you, in your size and colour. It’s more sustainable, but the clock only starts ticking once it arrives here. If something is out of stock with our supplier, everything takes longer. That’s why we can’t change the size or colour after you place your order.
2. Drawing the design: half an hour to a few hours If you ordered with a photo, Louise will draw a line drawing from it by hand on a tablet. No automatic conversion, no AI. A simple drawing takes about half an hour; one with several people can easily take a few hours.
3. Your approval Did you order a photo or drawing? Then you’ll first receive a preview by email. You can approve it or request changes. We only move on once you’ve approved it, so your order is on hold until we hear from you. Be sure to check your spam folder too. We embroider text, a logo or handwriting exactly as you upload it, so this step isn’t needed.
4. The embroidery file: sometimes hours An embroidery machine can’t read a JPG. We manually convert each design in Janome Digitiser: every line, area and letter is assigned a stitch type and direction. A clean logo is quick to do; a colourful design takes hours.
5. Hooping and embroidering: for each item The fabric is stretched taut in the embroidery hoop, the right stabiliser goes underneath, and for terry cloth and knitwear, a film goes on top. The right thread colours are loaded into the machine. Then Julie embroiders it, which takes anywhere from five minutes to a few hours.
6. Finishing and shipping Trim loose threads, remove the stabiliser, check everything and pack it up. As soon as your parcel is on its way with DPD, you’ll receive the tracking link by email.

Why 1 to 3 weeks and not 2 days?

Add it all up: a few days for the clothing to arrive, drawing, waiting for your approval, digitising, hooping, embroidering and finishing. And all while other orders are being processed in the same workshop by two people.

Those 1 to 3 weeks aren’t just a safety buffer. That’s how long it really takes. Sometimes we can do it faster.

Can it be faster?

Yes. In Need it fast you’ll find items with fast delivery: we ship those within a week. Please note: with fast delivery, we don’t send the line drawing for approval first.

Cutting it close for a gift? Print out the approved drawing and give it to them as a little preview. It works surprisingly well.

For Christmas: Order by Thursday, December 10, 2026, and your parcel is guaranteed to arrive before Christmas. After that, we’ll do our very best to ship everything as quickly as possible.

What can you do to help things go smoothly?

• Send us a good photo right away. Make sure the whole head is in the frame, the image is sharp and the lighting is good. Also read Is your photo suitable for embroidery?
• Approve your drawing quickly. Your order is on hold until you approve it.
• Check your size before ordering. We can’t change it afterwards. Check the size chart or send us a message.
• Ordering for a group? Get in touch with us through For groups to discuss your design and timing.

Frequently asked questions