Spotting a fabric you love, is more often than not, the motivation to start a new sewing project. In fact, that was what got me into sewing all those years ago – walking through the cute fabric store in my neighborhood and seeing all the beautiful colors and patterns. Imagine all the things I could make with this, I thought! Years later, on a visit to Denver to see the guys at Craftsy, I made a visit to Fancy Tiger Crafts and had that same feeling. Great fabric is so inspiring – it makes me want to start making right away – and I’m sure many of you have felt the same.
While nothing compares to the experience of walking through a beautiful, curated fabrics store to get inspiration and see what pops out at you – and of course running into other great crafters and getting the expert tips from staff – I don’t have time to run to the fabric store as often as I’d like. I’ve been ordering online from different fabric stores over the last years, and want to share my top 10 with you, including what makes them great – search and filter features, great fabric collections, excellent customer service, and extras like free shipping or discount vouchers.
Top 10
- Spoonflower (USA, UK, DE)
Spoonflower is to fabric what Makerist is to patterns – a collection of fabrics from independent pattern designers and not big brands.
You pick the design you like, and they print to to the type of fabric you pick. The advantage- very individual : you know you won’t be wearing the same top as all your other maker friends in a certain season. Disadvantage: it’s obviously more pricey. We’ve done a few coops with them already, and I can tell you firsthand that their team is super nice and friendly. You can search by color, favorites or theme – like the Cutthroat Trout on White from the Fish theme featured below.
Photo via: Spoonflower.com - Stash Fabrics (USA)
Very modern collection of fabrics, including my favorites from Cotton and Steel, Art Gallery & Kona Cotton. You can browse via Material, Trending, Theme or Sale – things are well sorted and it’s a great user experience. They also have a focus on precuts for quilters.
No free shipping. - Organic Cotton Plus (USA)
These guys get bonus points from me for being organic, and taking it seriously. This company is GOTS certified and is one of the first companies to go organic in the 1990s. More bonus points? The cotton is farmed and fabrics produced in America. You can filter by fabric, color and pattern – and best of all if there is one fabric in more than one color – you can see them all in one entry, so you don’t have to scroll through each one ( i hate that!)
Free shipping on orders of 50$ or more. - Fancy Tiger Crafts (USA)
As I mentioned, this is one store where I’ve also had a great and inspirational offline experience. Great filters to help find stuff easier – Brand, Craft, Designer, Difficulty and Material; and great Brands and Designers. Just visiting the site makes me want to pull out my credit card.
Free shipping over 99$.
- The Village Habdashery (UK)
This is an ‘offline’ store in the UK, with a big online presence. I’ve been getting their newsletter for some time, and they are pretty spot on with trending fashion patterns. I made this easy top from the Tropical Stems cotton from their shop:
Shipping in the UK at 2,75Pounds, but shipping to EU and US is pretty expensive. Only recommend this one for UK residents:) - B and J Fabrics (USA)
The website does not look that high tech, but they have an incredible variety of fabrics. You will be able to find things like fur, suede, water-repellent fabrics, sequins, linen, tulle – which can really take your sewing projects up a level from jersey tops. If you are into fashion, this is your place. And if you live in New York, or go there for a vacation – stop by their offline store.
Free shipping within the USA, and a discount for larger orders. - JoAnn.com
JoAnns has a long history in crafting, and they know they products. They have a huge selection of fabrics, and are great for stocking up on basics, as well as for people who like licensed children’s fabrics from favorite Disney movies, StarWars, Minions, my little Pony and more. Fabrics are generally sorted by material. Sign up for their newsletter or check the site regularly – they have regular sales on fabrics.
No free shipping. But if you’re out and about, you can order online, and pick it up in store for free. - Mood Fabrics (USA)
You may know this place from Project Runway. They have a lot of fashion and couture fabrics. If you’re looking to do something wild like make your own wedding dress, this is the place to source your fabric. My favorite – their selection of neoprene fabrics (see below) – perfect for short, boxy sweatshirts, which I am loving right now.
Free shipping of orders of 100$ and more, or if you’re part of their Swatch Club.
Photo via: Moodfabrics.com - Fabric.com (USA)
This company is owned by Amazon, and claims to be the world’s leading online fabrics store. They have a big selection, and focus on home decor as well as quilting fabrics. I’m sure I could find what I wanted, if I went looking. But it’s not going to inspire me to buy something just from browsing the website.Great shipping conditions: free shipping on orders over 49$ and free returns in the USA. - Thread Head Fabrics (UK)
This is a fairly new store, which wasn’t easy to find in a search. But I’m glad I did – I love the vintage look of the website. They focus on quilting fabrics, as well as fabrics suited to dressmaking. You can filter by theme, designer, color or price.
Free Delivery in the UK on orders over 50Pounds
While researching this article, I came across so many inspiring Instagram channels about fabrics for sewing – I’m putting these together for you in a new article – coming soon!
