Short answer. A hand embroidered sweatshirt order includes eight things: the 350 GSM fleece blank, artwork redrawn for pile, water-soluble topping, thread and needles, 2.5 to 18 artisan hours, a rinse and re-nap, packaging, and shipping. Three cost extra: queue jumping, a second colourway, and gift wrapping.
If you are choosing a gift rather than checking an invoice, the personalised sweatshirt gift guide is the better page. This one is for the other question: when a printed sweatshirt costs ₹899 and a hand-embroidered one costs ₹2,500, what exactly is the ₹1,601 buying? An itemised answer beats a paragraph about craftsmanship.
The eight things in the price
| Included | What it means | Why it matters later |
|---|---|---|
| Blank sweatshirt, 350 GSM | Brushed cotton fleece, pre-shrunk | Below 320 GSM, dense stitching distorts the fabric for good |
| Artwork redrawn for fleece | Lines thickened, fills made denser | A tee design traced onto pile disappears into it |
| Water-soluble topping | Film laid over the pile before stitching | Without it the motif sinks and looks fuzzy |
| Thread and needles | Colourfast floss, heavier needles than jersey work | Jersey needles bend and skip on 350 GSM |
| Artisan hours | 2.5 to 18 hours by a named woman artisan | The largest cost line, about 42 per cent |
| Rinse and re-nap | Topping dissolved, pile brushed back up | Skipped, and the stitching stays crusty with residue |
| Packaging | Recycled box, folded motif inward | Raised stitch abrades against itself in transit |
| Shipping across India | Included over ₹999 | Sweatshirt-weight courier is ₹160 to ₹200 of real cost |
What the price covers, stage by stage
Tap a stage to see what it pays for and what goes wrong without it.
350 GSM blank. Brushed cotton fleece, pre-shrunk. Below 320 GSM, dense stitching distorts the fabric for good.
Artwork redrawn for fleece. Lines are thickened and fills made denser. A tee design traced straight onto pile disappears into it.
Water-soluble topping. A film laid over the pile before stitching. Without it the motif sinks and looks fuzzy.
Thread and needles. Colourfast floss, and heavier needles than jersey work needs. Jersey needles bend and skip on 350 GSM.
Artisan hours. 2.5 to 18 hours by a named woman artisan. It is the largest cost line, about 42 per cent.
Rinse, pack, ship. The topping is dissolved and the pile brushed back up, then a recycled box with the motif folded inward. Shipping across India is included over ₹999.
What is not included
- Queue jumping. Our queue runs 4 to 5 days before stitching starts, longest from October. Moving ahead costs more because someone else's order gets pushed back.
- A second colourway. The same design in different thread shades needs re-sampling against the fleece colour. Thread that reads well on cream can go flat on charcoal.
- Gift wrapping and a handwritten note. Small, not free. Available across the personalised gifts range.
The spelling proof
Every custom name order gets a layout proof before anything is hooped. You see the spelling, the script, the placement against the actual seam positions, and the thread shade on your chosen fleece colour.
On a sweatshirt this matters more than on a tee, because eight hours of fleece work is a costlier thing to redo than three hours of jersey work. Our name and initial range all goes through it.
What the spelling proof shows you
Tap an item to see where it appears on the proof before anything is hooped.
Spelling. Every custom name order gets a layout proof before anything is hooped, and you approve the spelling in writing.
Script. The proof shows the script, so you see the letterforms before any thread goes in.
Placement. The name is shown against the actual seam positions, so it sits inside a flat panel rather than across a seam.
Thread shade. You see the thread shade on your chosen fleece colour. Thread that reads well on cream can go flat on charcoal.
Why it matters. Eight hours of fleece work is a costlier thing to redo than three hours of jersey work, and a custom name cannot come back. That is why the proof step exists.
Placement, and what the seams rule out
Worth knowing before you fall in love with a design. A motif cannot be hooped flat across a shoulder seam, a side seam, or a hoodie's kangaroo pocket. On hoodies the hood seam also rules out the upper chest.
So the workable zones are: left chest, centre chest below the seam line, upper back, and mid-sleeve. If you want a design somewhere else, ask first and we will tell you honestly whether it can be done.
Where a motif can go, and where it cannot
Tap a zone to see it on the garment.
Left chest. One of the four workable zones. The motif sits inside a flat panel, with no seam running through it.
Centre chest, below the seam line. The second workable zone on the front. Kept below the seam line so the hoop sits flat.
Upper back. The workable zone on the back of the garment, inside the panel and away from the seams.
Mid-sleeve. The fourth workable zone. Anywhere else, ask first and we will tell you honestly whether it can be done.
Seams rule places out. A motif cannot be hooped flat across a shoulder seam or a side seam, so designs are placed inside the panels.
Hoodies have two more limits. A kangaroo pocket cannot take a motif across it, and the hood seam rules out the upper chest.
Sizing
Our sweatshirts are cut loose. The size chart on each product page is measured flat from actual garments, not copied from a supplier sheet, and I would read it rather than ordering your usual letter. Ordering a tee size is the single most common mistake we see.
Size exchange is fine if the garment is unworn and the embroidery is untouched. A custom name cannot come back, which is exactly why the proof step exists.
The care card
Included, and worth reading. Cold wash, inside out, spin at 600 rpm or below, dry flat. Fleece pills and stitch distorts under the same conditions, so one routine protects both. Full care guide here.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in a custom embroidered sweatshirt order?
The 350 GSM fleece blank, artwork redrawn for pile, water-soluble topping, thread and needles, 2.5 to 18 artisan hours, a rinse and re-nap, packaging, and shipping across India on orders over ₹999.
What is water-soluble topping and why does it cost extra?
A thin film laid over the fleece pile so stitches sit on top instead of sinking in. It is rinsed out after stitching. Fleece needs it, jersey does not, which is one reason sweatshirt embroidery costs more.
Where can a motif go on a sweatshirt?
Left chest, centre chest below the seam, upper back, and mid-sleeve. A design cannot be hooped flat across shoulder seams, side seams, or a hoodie's kangaroo pocket and hood seam.
Do I approve the spelling before you stitch?
Yes, in writing. You see spelling, script, placement against the real seam positions, and the thread shade on your chosen fleece colour before anything is hooped.
Can I return a custom embroidered sweatshirt?
Size exchanges are fine if it is unworn and the embroidery untouched. A custom name cannot be returned, which is why the written proof exists first.
See the stitching up close. New designs and studio detail shots go up on our Pinterest first. Shipping outside India is easiest through our Etsy shop, which handles the customs paperwork.
Who wrote this
Vee Threads is a hand-embroidery label run by Vikash Tomar and Mansi from a studio in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. Every piece is stitched by hand by women artisans on the studio floor, on 350 GSM cotton fleece for sweatshirts, 400 GSM for hoodies, and 220 GSM combed cotton for tees. We have shipped more than 5,000 orders. Mansi runs the studio and quality control, Vikash handles the digital side. Prices, timings and hours quoted here come from our own production records, not industry averages.
Browse hand embroidered sweatshirts and embroidered hoodies, start a custom order, or find us on Etsy and Pinterest.
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