Hi everyone! We’ve now covered two parts of The Tools of the Trade series: Part 1: The Sewing Machine, and Part 2: Sewing Basket Essentials. For the final part in the series, we will talk about FABRIC. Now, being somewhat of a novice sewer still, I don’t have very extensive knowledge about fabric themselves, what they are, what they look & feel like, how they behave, etc., simply because I haven’t really sewn with a lot of different fabrics yet. So we aren’t going to go over fabric in that way.
When I finally got into the groove of sewing, I was at a loss as to where to go to find fabric. Especially now, with COVID-19 and all businesses being shut down, actually going out to local fabric stores is hard enough to do, what with all the closures, and restrictions, and having to wait in super long lines just to get into the store. My only other option to get fabric was to go online. Naturally, I did google searches, but it was overwhelming because there are sooo many choices! What helped me a lot was when I found sewing blog posts of people who shared their knowledge of where they go to find fabric, which is why I wanted to share this post with you.
I want to be helpful to you in the sense that, instead of you doing all the heavy research, I’ve gone ahead and done it for you and compiled a list of places that carry fabric. It won’t be ALL places, of course. You may stumble across a really good online site (if you do, please share!) But of the ones I listed, I did go through the sites and perused what they have to offer, and I feel that they all have a pretty good selection of fabrics for all kinds of different sewing projects. But, as always, do your own research to find what suits YOU.
So I’m just going to list them here in links for you in random order. I won’t post anything about project type or pricing because it all depends on what you are sewing and what you are willing to spend.**Please keep in mind that as of right now, we are currently still in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Stores all around are trying their best to maintain order with their businesses. The best we can do is to practice patience and understanding. Supply and demand may not be up to date, and shipping times may take longer because of all the adjustments they have to go through. As far as I know, these businesses are still up and running and taking and shipping out orders at the moment I post these links.**
- Robert Kaufman Fabrics
- Vogue Fabric Store
- Fabric Wholesale Direct
- The Sewing Workshop
- Hawthorne Supply Co.
- Lakes Makerie
- Moda Fabrics + Supplies
- Harts Designer Fabric
- Cali Fabrics
- Fabrics Store
- Andover Fabrics
- Cotton & Steel
- Spoonflower
- Birch Fabrics
- Mood
- Girl Charlee
- fabric.com
- Fashion Fabrics Club
- Missouri Star Quilt Co.
- Fabric Godmother (UK site)
- Liberty London (UK site)
- Fabricworm
- Ruby Star Society
I can’t list all these great sites without mentioning our more localized, commercial craft sites like Joann Craft, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels. The only issue I have with these sites is their limited styles and supply. However, when you do happen to find something great, you almost always have the perks of discounts, coupons, and sales. Also, I can’t not mention Etsy enough for coming through for me whenever I needed something—anything! With Etsy, it’s best to do a specific search for what kind of fabric you need in order to get the best results, so search accordingly.
Whew! That’s a pretty long list! And I haven’t even gotten close to showing how many others just like them that are out there! Keep this handy whenever you are ready to find some fabulous fabric for your projects. I’ll warn you now: fabric hunting is so fun and so addictive. You’ll want to build up a collection of all your favorites right away, but do try to wait before buying all your yards until you know EXACTLY what you are sewing and EXACTLY what you need to avoid overspending!
All right! We’ve reached the end of The Tools of the Trade series! I hope that this gave you some great advice and all the encouragement and confidence you need to get your sewing gig on the road! So what are you waiting for? Ready, Set, SEW!!
Fist Bumps,
Gilly
Sew What, Gilly? 