Where to buy fabric online
Hey y’all – today I want to answer a question I get a lot – where do you buy your fabric online? So I’m going to talk about where to buy fabric online and share the online fabric stores that that are my personal go-tos when I shop.
Before I get into the online fabric stores, though, I want to add a few disclaimers. This question is both an easy and hard one for me to answer. The simple where do I shop answer is easy, but because I’m a sewing blogger, it gets complicated because I’ve worked with some of these stores, and because other stores I haven’t listed might want to work with me in the future. Since I am not currently working with any fabric stores as of this writing, it felt like a good time to write this.
As for all the other fabric stores out there – there are a LOT of really good ones, and I’m sure there are plenty I’ve never even heard of. So if you see one I missed, feel free to leave a link in the comments – however, make sure it’s a link because you love the store and not an affiliate link. My list is just that – my list of places I most often shop personally, none of this is affiliate linked. They are not the only fabric stores I’ve shopped, they’re just the ones I seem to return to over and over. I talk about and show some recent purchases in the video below, which can also be watched on YouTube here. There are more details and shop links in the rest of this post below the video
My Favorite Online Fabric Stores
Imagine Gnats
This shop has become my first stop for apparel fabrics. From rayons to linen to french terry to super cuddly sweatshirt fleece, I generally look at what’s on offer here first. The linen/hemp blend fabric we used for the sample Esma Top below was from Imagine Gnats.
Fat Quarter Shop
Fat Quarter Shop is a go to for designer quilting cottons, like the ones from my Blooms and Bobbins line that I used in the camisole below. And despite their name, they do sell yardage of the fabrics.
Organic Cotton Plus
This shop is my go to for luxurious staple fabrics. They’re not the cheapest, but the quality is high. I often stock up on unbleached cotton knits that I can later dye myself to get whatever unique fabric I want. They’ve also recently started carrying other organic fabrics, like silk and hemp, as well as yarn. They also have a great selection of cotton laces, which are hard to find. The snuggly organic cotton French terry Rivage Raglan I’m wearing below is fabric from this shop.
Fabric.com
This is an Amazon owned company, and much like shopping on Amazon, they have a huge selection and low prices. Fabric quality can vary greatly (I’ve noticed this when I’ve ordered non designer knits) but this is my go to for sheer variety and it’s also the best place I’ve found for a wide selection of rayon challis, like the dress in the picture below.
Raspberry Creek Fabrics
This is a small independent Etsy shop with a well curated collection. This shop is also a go-to for French terry fabrics, with a bigger selection than I’ve found anywhere else. Check for interesting apparel fabrics (I found lots of check and chambray on my last visit) and designer prints and knits (for example, I know they’ve sold out of my Idle Wild Floral pictured below at least twice).
Dharma Trading Co
Though Dharma Trading Co is best known for dyes, they’re also a great supplier of basic fabrics. Most of what they carry is ready to dye, but they do carry a color selection for some fabrics, like the silk charmeuse I used to make this bias cut slip dress.
La Mercerie
This is a newer shop, stocked with well curated apparel fabrics (both wovens and knits) that trend toward solids and stripes with a few on trend prints. I bought the rayon crepe used in the gold skirt I’m wearing below from La Mercerie.
Honorable Mentions
Here are links to other fabric stores I’ve shopped in the past that I just haven’t ordered from recently, mostly due to changes in the types of fabric I’ve been ordering.
Hawthorne Threads – mostly quilting cottons, some apparel fabrics
Mood Fabrics – mostly designer apparel fabrics
Girl Charlee – mostly knits. Quality can vary, but I’ve yet to be disappointed in their solid cotton spadex blends.
Spandex World – swimsuit and dance fabrics, huge selection
Seattle Fabrics – specializes in athletic, performance and outdoor fabrics.
So there you go – several of my favorite online haunts. Happy shopping!
Want to read more about sewing with knits? See these posts:
Robyn
Thanks for this list! I’m always so disappointed when I go to Joann’s looking for knits.
Lisa
Seems I have some new places to check out! I love Fabric.com! I can get a lot of quilting fabric there. They have started putting each piece of fabric in a plastic sleeve. I do find this midlly annoying as I don’t know if the plastic is recyclable, and I know this adds to their cost of doing business, which adds to my cost. Thanks for the additional places to check out!!
Linda
I don’t mind the plastic sleeves. I use them for storing the millions of bits and pieces of fabric, sort of by small medium large! I may be a little nuts! I love fabric.com.
Laura M
Great list! I like that you’ve talked about what types of fabrics you get at each place as not all lists do that. And this one included one or two I’d never heard of so I’ll definitely be checking them out. 🙂
I have 2 or 3 personal favorites that are not on your list so I’ll add them here:
Love Adore Knit Fabrics (www.loveadoreco.com & has a Facebook group) Hands down my favorite for any knit prints not on cotton Lycra. She always has lots of wiggle and double brushed polys, as well as rayon spandex, spun poly, jersey blends, and French terry at times. I also love her DBP solids, and she carries some of the heavier weights that are hard to find elsewhere at the best prices. I may be a little biased because I do work for her, but it was my love for the fabrics first that lead me to working with her. 😉
Purple Seamstress Fabric (www.purpleseamstressfabric.com, also sells through a Facebook page) Hands down my go to for any and all cotton lycra solids and stripes. Best prices around for the guaranteed quality plus free swatch cards. 🙂
Pretty Posh Prints (www.prettyposhprints.bigcartel.com, also has a Facebook group) Her prices on DBP solids just can’t be beat when she runs a preorder! So that’s mostly what I get from her.
Laura
Jeanne
Molly, this is just what I needed since the Hancock Fabric stores have closed and I have no other local stores to shop at. So, a huge THANK YOU for this post!
Jeanne
Amy York
My new favorite place to buy knits (especially brushed poly) is So Sew English. It’s what finally broke my girl Charlee addiction (after some disappointing purchases). They have great deals and a fun facebook group. 🙂
Kathy
I like fabric.com as well as fabricguru.com
Felicity
Fabric Depot!!! fabricdepot.com. Their customer service is great!
Patricia Flynn
Also: Gorgeous Fabrics, Fabric Mart, Britex & Promenade Fine Fabrics
Nicole LaBry
Hey thank you soooooo much for the Cloth Pocket shout out! Xoxo
Debbie
Check out Spanglish Fabrics on etsy. Great hand woven fabrics bought in Guatemala.
Nikki
Great post! I have trouble finding cute patterns these days. WHere do you go for your patterns?
Chris
My other favorite… naturesfabrics.com They sell beautiful and luxurious bamboo fabrics and upper end wool, diapering fabric, organic knits and woven. They sell ready to dye white and lots of printed pattern fabric. I love dying fabric, so I always look for pfd.
Lori
Stonemountain and Daughter out of Berkeley CA has a great store and ships! Check out their Instagram account.
Rochelle
There’s also Dharmatrading.com for all sorts of dyes and for dyeable fabrics! Including a large variety of Silks, bamboos, cottons, rayons.
Nelda Basenberg
Stylemaker Fabrics is one of my favorites. Also,Marcy Tilton Fabrics.
:)
Hi,
Thanks for the info!
Where can I find 100% cotton non-stretchy *heavy* sweatshirt material?
Thank you!
Lynda Thompson
Peekaboofabricshop.com has a great selection of high quality knits and quilting cotton. Lots of really cute prints for both boys and girls, including swimwear fabrics. Purpleseamstress.com has many prints but I especially like the cotton/lycra solids.