Where to Buy Fabric Online

Are you a passionate sewist looking for new fabric options to spice up your next project? With the explosion of ecommerce, it's easier than ever before to find quality fabrics from all over the world.

This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. I do make a portion off any you may purchase. See full disclosure here.

But the real questions is, where to buy fabric online? From canvas and cottons to silks and linens, shopping online makes it easy to get just what you need without ever leaving your home. But with so many places to shop online, it can be hard to know where to start.

That's why we've done the research and rounded up some our favorite spots for buying fabric online so that you don't have too!

What makes a good quality fabric?

This is often the hardest question to answer when shopping online. How do you know if the fabric is good quality when you can't even touch it.

First, read the description. See what materials the fabric is made from like cotton, polyester, rayon or silk. I typically like sites that show several images of the fabric instead of just one.

Second, who designed the fabric. This can be especially helpful if you have purchased fabrics from a specific designer in the past. Typically they stick with the same manufacturer and the quality remains the same. This is true for companies like Michael Miller or Art Gallery. They usually have several designers that work under them creating the designs that print on the fabrics.

Designer fabrics are usually really high quality fabrics and cost more money, but they last longer than many of the brands you might find Walmart and JoAnn.

Why do prices on fabrics vary so much?

Fabric prices vary from store to store. However, I've found that quality fabrics typically cost the same from shop to shop. They might have a small difference, like .50, but nothing drastic.

Some fabrics are on clearance after a season or two. As long as you don't "need" this years newest fabrics, you can find some good deals on clearance fabrics.

What to watch for when buying online?

Pricing by the yard or half yard. Many online shops will get you with their pricing. Some are not trying to be tricky, but they will show you the price initially for a half yard of fabric and when you go to purchase a yard or more, the price is now double or triple.

Make sure to watch for quantities before you check out on a site.

Another thing to watch for is shipping. You could find a fabric for less on one site but the shipping is double that of another site. I like to look for shops that use flat rate shipping. They are good at adding lots of fabric to a box.

Quality Quilting Cottons and Wovens

If you are in the market for good quality cotton fabrics for quilting or simple home sewing and even a bit of apparel sewing.

These stores offer beautiful cotton quilting fabrics and some apparel fabrics.

Fat Quarter Shop

Peekaboo Fabrics

Fabricworm

Funky Monkey Fabrics - based in Canada

Sunshine and Peony - another based in Canada

There are also loads of fabric shops on Etsy. Some of the Etsy shops I've had success with are ABfabric16 and Lemon Tree Fabrics.

Apparel Fabrics

If you enjoy creating clothing, here are a few stores that are really great for apparel fabrics.

Mood Fabrics

The Styled Magnolia - I have not purchased from them, but they have some great looking fabrics

Great Knit Fabrics

If you are looking for knit or stretch fabrics, we've got a list of several different online fabric shops you can check out. But my go to place is typically Knitfabric.com. They have great quality knit fabrics. Plus, they ship really quickly.

To sum up where to buy fabric, online fabric stores are a great way to find materials quickly at prices that can't easily be beat. Depending on what you're looking for, many Etsy shops offer unique selections while alternatives such as Mood Fabrics give shoppers access to more traditional patterns.

Whichever site you choose, always pay attention to the terms of use and shipping costs because these can change depending on which store you decide to purchase from.

Make sure to also read reviews before committing to a purchase to ensure there aren't any surprises when your material arrives! As promised, check out the links in this post for more information about each online fabric shop — happy shopping!