Yes. Our focus is real words written by real people in real life. We have embroidered line art or doodles for custom requests but our main gig is handwriting.

Absolutely. We will reject & refund any writing that celebrates or promotes hate against women, minorities, LBGTQ, or immigrants. We use our own judgement and reserve the right to refuse orders that do not align with our core values.

We will not embroider on any red hats.

The short answer is, you're all good. Write on. Here's why:

Embroidery is a transformation of a fixed, performed act of handwriting.

Longhanded asserts that handwriting constitutes a unique performance of an underlying, fixed in ink, and embroidery is the transformation of that fixed, performed act of handwriting, consistent with performance doctrines protecting spoken word, musical performance, and transformative art under U.S. copyright law.

The Performance Rights Doctrine (known well by comedians, musicians, and the reason I get quarterly royalty checks for $1.02 for streaming of my comedy albums) defines and protects performances as separate from the underlying work which remains the intellectual property of its author. These performance rights in music and comedy (ASCAP/BMI for music; licensing for recorded stand-up specials) have core distinctions that provide protection for your handwritten performance of a song, poem, or other managed work.

• Derivative vs. transformative works defining what adds a new expression or meaning.
• Fixation of performances (17 U.S.C. § 101) — the idea that once a performance is “fixed” (recorded, written, transcribed), it gains protection separate from the underlying work.

Your handwriting — a physical, expressive act that produces a unique output

Copyright law already protects performances (musicians, actors, dancers) as distinct from the underlying work. By analogy, handwriting could be framed as a “performance” of a literary work — a physical rendering, with unique expressive qualities (slant, spacing, pressure) and by submitting handwriting, you represent and warrant that you own the handwriting or have full rights to submit it for embroidery.

Handwriting reasonably constitutes a unique, original performance.

While the underlying creative work (song, poem, excerpt, etc.) remains the intellectual property of its author, the handwritten expression is distinct and separate. On this basis, embroidery of handwriting does not constitute duplication or reproduction as defined by copyright law. It is not equivalent to screen printing, photocopying, or digital duplication. Instead, it is a transformative rendering of a handwritten performance into stitched form.

(Case law and precedent in our Terms & Policies)

You don't need to be an expert photographer. See the top of this page for a quick video of how to capture handwriting with the camera on your phone.

If we have any questions or need a better photo, we'll contact you via email or text the phone number included in your order information. If you have questions or need help please contact us. We're happy to help.

Absolutely. "Write it for me" is an available option on most of our items. We'll write you words in our handwriting and send it to you for approval before your item goes under the needle.

We source all our items from a variety of places and partners who specialize in vintage and preowned clothing, accessories, and textiles. We purchase items from local estate sales, partner buyers who scout out items we request, and third party marketplace sellers we trust.

We inspect and photograph all items and note their condition along with any defects in the item description. Most items are in mint or nearly new condition however, particularly denim, may have wear consistent with a particular look which is intentional.

If you feel an item you received is inconsistent with the one you ordered or has been damaged during shipping, contact us immediately and we'll make it right.

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We want you to love your item and will do our best to resolve any issues. We do not accept returns of custom embroidered items however, if your item is lost or damaged during shipping, please contact us and we will work with our carriers to resolve any issues you may have.

Cancellations: Cancel your order within the first 24hours for a full refund.  If you'd like to cancel an order already in our embroidery process however, please contact us and we will issue a partial refund if your order not yet embroidered and items can be added back into our stock.

We want you to love your item and will do our best to resolve any issues. We do not accept returns of custom embroidered items however, if your item is lost or damaged please contact us and we will work with our carriers to resolve any issues you may have.

Cancellations: Cancel your order within the first 24hours for a full refund.  If you'd like to cancel an order already in our embroidery process however, please contact us and we will issue a partial refund if your order not yet embroidered and items can be added back into our stock.

Once your order is placed, you will receive a confirmation email letting you know that our fulfillment team has received your order. Once your order is fulfilled, you will receive an email notification with your tracking information. Shipping fees are non-refundable in the case of returns.

Yes, we ship all over the world. Shipping costs will apply, and will be added at checkout.