Frequently Asked Questions

about Shipping + Returns

Generally we pack and ship most orders within 24 hours. Orders placed after 12pm EST on Friday or over the weekend will be packed the following Monday (or next business day on holiday weekends).

Yes! Local pick up is available at our Studio in Durham, NC on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. At checkout, select "Local Pick Up" as your delivery option. When your order is ready, you will receive an email with a link to our scheduling calendar for you to select a time to stop by and pick up your order.

Yes! We offer international shipping via USPS International First Class Mail, FedEx or UPS. Rates and estimated delivery times are available at checkout.

We offer USPS Priority Shipping and UPS 2nd Day Air as standard delivery options at checkout. Overnight delivery can be arranged by special request.

Please be aware that shipping delivery speed is separate from order processing time. For example, if you place an order over the weekend and select Priority Shipping, your order will be packed on the following Monday using Priority shipping, but it will not be picked up by USPS until Tuesday morning. If you require expedited order processing, please contact us to check for availability and make special arrangements.

Yes, you can return any item for any reason for up to 30 days from the date of purchase. Customers are responsible for the cost of return shipping. Read our full Return Policy for more information.

We use a barcode verification system to pack all of our orders in order to provide our customers with the best service possible. We want to make sure you receive exactly what you ordered, so we scan the barcodes of every item that goes into your package to make sure we are packing the correct item and the correct quantity. Once everything has been verified as correct, your packing slip gets the "Verified" stamp.

about the Shop

Give the gift of creativity with a Snuggly Monkey gift card! Our gift cards are electronic and emailed to the recipient immediately upon purchase. Gift cards can be used both in our online store and in studio. You can purchase one here.

While we do not have a traditional retail location, we do welcome visitors into our Studio in Durham, North Carolina by appointment or during one of our monthly Open Studio Days. Learn more about how to arrange a visit here.

We believe in honest pricing and offer our customers high quality supplies at true value pricing all year long. We do not believe in artificially inflating the prices of our items and tricking our customers into believing they are getting a "deal" with weekly coupons. So, we do not offer discounts very often.

We do value customer loyalty and offer a robust rewards & referrals program. Rewards club members can redeem their rewards points for coupons, discounts and free merchandise. Learn more about our makersPerks rewards program here.

We have 2 major sales each year - one in July and one in November. Sign up for our newsletter to receive early access to the sales and find out when they are happening. We also post information about our sales on our social media channels.

No, unfortunately we are not set up to offer wholesale. If you need large quantities of a particular item, we would be happy to work with your on a volume discount. Please contact us for more information.

Giving back to our community is a cornerstone of our business, so we gladly offer donations to crafting events, guild retreats and schools throughout the year. We review donation requests three times a year in January, May and September. Please contact us with your specific request and non-profit status verification if you would like to work together.

Thank you so much for your interest! We are a very small, family-run business with one part-time shop assistant. That position is currently filled and we are not hiring at this time, but if anything changes we will post any future job announcements on social media and in our newsletter.

We will let Claudia, our owner, answer this one ...

When I was pregnant with my first child, we decided not to find out the gender of the baby. So, every time someone would ask what we were having, our standard answer became "a monkey". Well, that led to a monkey themed baby shower and a whole heck of a lot of monkey stuff around our house.

When it came time to pick a name for my store, it was inevitable that "monkey" would be in there somewhere. Snuggly Monkey originally began as a handmade ring sling shop. Ring slings are perfect for snuggling ... so Snuggly Monkey seemed like a perfect fit. Over the years the business has changed and evolved, but the name stuck. 

about Sashiko

Sashiko is a traditional Japanese embroidery and stitching technique that originated in rural Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). This beautiful art form that is rich in history and traditions has become popular around the world, especially for mending and as a relaxation practice.

Claudia, our owner, majored in Japanese history & language and spent many years living and working Japan. We do our best to honor the cultural roots of Sashiko. All of our Sashiko supplies are made in Japan by some of the most reputable companies that have been making Sashiko supplies for over 100 years.

Traditionally, Sashiko stitching was done through two or three layers of cloth. With modern pre-printed Sashiko samplers the decision whether to stitch through one or two layers is up to you. If you have repetitive use injuries or arthritis in your hands, you may find it easier to stitch through only one layer. If you are having trouble maintaining good stitch tension and your stitches are bunching, try adding a second layer to help hold your stitches in place better. Experiment and find what works best for you.

Sashiko thread does not have industry standard sizing, so the thickness of the thread varies by manufacturer. The Snuggly Monkey Sashiko Thread comparison charts puts all 9 brands of Sashiko thread that we sell in order from thickest to thinnest and puts them side by side with common Perle Cotton sizes to help you figure out the brand that best suits your needs. You can download the chart here.

Claudia's favorite ....