Rae and I are frequently asked where we buy our beautiful fabrics. Like many of you, over the last several years we have relied on online fabric sources more often. To promote Rae’s upcoming Feb. 13 class, The Best Fabrics for Fashion, Function and Fit, we share a list of online sources that we assembled while brainstorming with the participants at our Sew Successfully Retreat last Fall. We have not personally purchased from all of the e-stores on this list, but from many of them, and the rest were recommended by our students.
Many of the fabrics you see in our samples were acquired on our travels, but we are acutely aware of the diminishing number of brick-and-mortar stores selling garment and fashion fabrics in the US. If you are lucky enough to have a store in your area, or are able to visit one on your travels, we encourage you to support these stores with in-person shopping. We all want to continue shopping in-person so we can touch and feel the fabric and see the true colors!
Retail Stores with Online Shop
This first group includes a variety of vendors who started out as brick-and-mortar retailers and have moved into online sales while retaining a local presence. They range from the very large and well-known urban suppliers to smaller local shops. Most are primarily garment focused, a few started out with a quilt shop focus and grew into other fabrics. Several of the shops also offer home decorator fabrics, trims, notions, buttons, patterns, and more. Many of them publish regular blogs and offer classes or retreats. We encourage you to explore their websites and join their mailing lists.
Artistic Artifacts https://artisticartifacts.com/ Alexandria, VA – fabric and all kinds of textile related craft supplies, classes. “Creative finds for Creative minds” says it all! We’ve featured the shop’s beautiful imports from India, like this Ikat vest and Carpe Diem top, and fluid textile paints in many garments.
Britex Fabrics https://britexfabrics.com/ San Francisco, CA – fashion, home dec, special occasion, trims, notions, buttons, swatch service.
Domesticity Fabric Shop & Sewing Studio https://www.shopdomesticity.com/ Baltimore, MD – primarily quilting cottons, patterns, classes.
Fabric Mart Fabrics https://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/ Sinking Spring, PA – discount garment fabrics, notions, patterns, trims etc. Virtual Classes for garment sewers, including a series taught by Rae! Register here for the February 13th virtual class with Fabric Mart.
A Fabric Place https://afabricplace.com/ Baltimore, MD – fine garment fabrics, swatch service.
G Street Fabrics https://gstreetfabrics.com/ Rockville, MD – fashion, home dec, quilt fabrics, notions, trims, etc.
Mood Fabrics https://www.moodfabrics.com/ New York, NY – huge variety of fashion and home fabrics, trims, notions, blog.
Sawyer Brook Distinctive Fabrics https://www.sawyerbrook.com/ Marlborough, MA – fine garment fabrics, buttons and notions, swatch service. Visit warehouse by appointment only.
Style Maker Fabrics https://stylemakerfabrics.com/ Stanwood, WA – curated fabric, patterns, notions, blog, retreats. We’ve written several posts about sewing with Style Maker Fabrics, including this one featuring a flannel shirt jacket and a sweater knit.
Stonemountain & Daughters https://stonemountainfabric.com/ Berkley, CA – “Inspiring selection of fabrics, notions, & indie patterns for the modern maker!”
The Confident Stitch https://www.theconfidentstitch.com/ Missoula, MT – quilt and garment fabrics, kits, blog, quarterly swatching. Love this Seawool Jean Jacket and Big Summer Shirt crafted from Confident Stitch fabrics.
Vogue Fabrics https://www.voguefabricsstore.com/ Evanston, IL – apparel, fashion, home dec, quilt, notions, trims, patterns.
Online Only
Boho Fabrics https://www.bohofabrics.com/ Knit and woven fabrics, notions etc.
Core Fabrics https://corefabricstore.com/ specializing in sustainable fabrics for fashion, notions, patterns, kits “Beautiful textiles for a beautiful world.” Shipping from Canada.
Gorgeous Fabrics https://gorgeousfabrics.com/ designer discount fabrics “We bring the garment district to your door.” Warehouse outside Boston, MA.
Marci Tilton https://marcytilton.com/ designer and imported garment fabrics France, Italy, India and Japan .
Specialty Fabrics
These online stores have a special focus, although their fabrics may not exclusively relate to that focus.
Farmhouse Fabrics https://farmhousefabrics.com/ known for heirloom sewing, variety of traditional fabrics, notions, trims, buttons and beads, laces.
French General https://www.frenchgeneral.com/ “French inspired lifestyle” with textiles (quilt, garment, home dec), jewelry, embroidery, notions, paper goods, workshops and retreats.
Laura Murray Designs https://www.lauramurraydesigns.com/ kimono silks, textile paints, stencils and related tools. Find several garments featuring kimono silks from Laura Murray, like this pieced Carpe Diem.
Mekong River Textiles https://mekongrivertextiles.com/ handwoven, hand-dyed fabric from Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Visit in-person by appointment or open house only. See samples made from Mekong River Fabrics in our photo gallery and blog archive.
SewBatik https://sewbatik.com/ Hand-dyed batik from Indonesia on cotton (knit and quilting), rayon, linen, and canvas, patterns, notions, kits. Peruse our many photos and blog posts featuring SewBatik’s lovely batik fabrics.
Custom Fabric Printing
These shops offer a custom printing service on the fabric of your choice (and sometimes wallpaper) including garment, quilt and home dec fabrics. They also offer a wide array of ready-to-purchase fabrics, too.
Hawthorn Supply Co. https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/ upstate NY – printing on fabric of choice and wallpaper.
Raspberry Creek Fabrics https://raspberrycreekfabrics.com/ apparel fabric, custom printing on fabric.
Spoonflower https://www.spoonflower.com/ printing on home dec, garment and quilt fabric and wallpaper .
Fit for Art
Fit for Art is currently offering one bundle of adorable Tilda Hibernation cottons for sale, but we will be adding new bundles in the next few months. Follow this blog to receive an announcement when the Japanese sourced textiles are available for purchase, including bundles of reversible cotton and an adorable cat motif print.
Many thanks to friends who contributed to this list! We anticipate that our readers will be able to add more sources, so please share your favorite online sources (or local spots) for garment fabrics in the comments.
Hey Rae & Carrie,
I know it’s been awhile but if you take a look at http://www.universityofsewing.com we have an extensive line of Italian, Japanese and more fabrics.
hope you are doing well.
Margaret Fette
It’s so good to hear from you Margaret, and great to add a source from the mid-West. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you for all these resources!
This is a great reference tool. Thank you for the work that went into this.
Hello! Thanks for the list. I (as an online customer) would like to add Okan Arts to this list: . They have wonderful Japanese fabrics and classes both online and in-person.
Thanks for this tip Ruth! Looking forward to exploring their offerings at okanarts.com
It’s great to see so many resources on this list! I would make one small correction: Sawyer Brook Fabrics changed hands (again) about 2 years ago, and is no longer in Marlboro, MA. The new owner moved it to New Hampshire, and I don’t know whether she welcomes any in-person shopping.
My favorite local brick-and-mortar store is Fabric Place Basement (no connection to your Baltimore Fabric Place) in Natick, MA. Huge selection of fabrics and supplies for garments, quilting, home decor, and knitting. It’s the reincarnation of the small local chain that used to have 4 NE locations, run by a relative of the original family.
Thanks for this update and New England resource, Janee!