Top 10 Places to Buy Fabric Online

Looking for the best fabric stores online? You’re not alone. With the recent shake-ups in craft retail (yes, JOANN closed all stores in 2025), sewists and quilters have been flocking to digital aisles for apparel fabrics, quilting cottons, upholstery yardage, and specialty textiles. The good news: a golden age of online fabric shopping is herepacked with indie darlings, bulk bargains, print-on-demand magic, and even a big-box comeback from Michaels. Below you’ll find the 10 best places to buy fabric online right now, what each store is best at, and the smart ways to shop them.

Editor’s note: JOANN’s physical stores shuttered in 2025. Michaels acquired JOANN’s IP and expanded fabric/sewing assortments nationwide, stepping into the gapso you’ll see Michaels on this list as a top one-stop option for many shoppers.

Quick Comparison: Best Fabric Stores Online (At a Glance)

1) Michaels

Best for: A broad, accessible selection of fabric, quilting basics, and sewing notionsplus curbside pickup in many locations.

Why shop here: After JOANN’s closures, Michaels snapped up JOANN’s intellectual property and private labels and has been expanding the fabric/sewing assortment across hundreds of stores and online. If you need mainstream fabrics, tools, and quick fulfillment, Michaels is a strong “new default.”

Smart tip: Check for co-branded Knit & Sew Shop rollouts and fabric cutting tables in your area; selection is expanding and varies by store.

2) Mood Fabrics

Best for: Designer apparel fabrics, couture-grade silks, wools, and trend-forward textiles (yep, the “Project Runway” favorite).

Why shop here: Mood’s breadth rivals a fashion district field trip, and the site’s filtering makes it easy to zero in on fiber content and drape. Express shipping is available with published cut-offs; most orders process within a few days.

Smart tip: Order a swatch first for exact color/hand. International shoppers should note extra processing time.

3) Spoonflower

Best for: Custom prints, small-batch projects, and coordinating décor.

Why shop here: Spoonflower prints your chosen design (from a massive artist marketplace or your own upload) on demand in the U.S., using non-toxic inksgreat for one-of-a-kind apparel, quilting, or home projects. Multiple base fabrics mean you can match the same print across quilting cotton, sateen, canvas, and more.

Smart tip: Use “proof” swatches to test scale and color on the exact substrate you’ll sew.

4) Fabric Mart Fabrics

Best for: Discounted designer fashion fabrics and fast-moving deals.

Why shop here: Fabric Mart is a legend for closeouts; check daily specials if you love treasure hunts. Shipping within the contiguous U.S. is a simple flat rate, which makes big hauls budget-friendly.

Smart tip: Move quickly on limited runswhen it’s gone, it’s gone.

5) Fabric Wholesale Direct

Best for: Bulk yardage, event décor, costuming, drapery, and lining fabrics.

Why shop here: As the name implies, you’ll find wholesale-level pricing by the yard on a huge range of basics and specialty weaves. Ideal for planners, makers, and anyone outfitting large spaces or batches.

Smart tip: Order extra for dye lotsbulk and reorders can shift slightly batch to batch.

6) Fat Quarter Shop

Best for: Quilters who want complete collections, precuts, patterns, BOMs, and kits.

Why shop here: Category pages are organized by designer, collection, theme, and color, with tutorials and community support baked in. It’s a one-click path from fabric to finished quilt plan.

Smart tip: Sign up for preorder notices to secure hot collections before they sell out.

7) Style Maker Fabrics

Best for: On-trend apparel fabrics curated for modern garment sewists.

Why shop here: Expect tasteful, seasonal curation and a mix of fashion-forward knits, wovens, and outerwear fabrics. Flat-rate U.S. shipping keeps costs predictable, and their notions/patterns curation complements the fabric range.

Smart tip: Shop their seasonal lookbooks for coordinated capsule projects.

8) Stonemountain & Daughter

Best for: Indie apparel fabrics, indie patterns, and a classic California maker vibe.

Why shop here: A beloved Berkeley institution with a robust online selection. Look for frequent new arrivals, web processing timelines posted clearly, and occasional free-shipping promos. Note that EU/UK shipping is paused due to VAT rules.

Smart tip: Watch their site announcements for free-shipping codes on larger orders.

9) Dharma Trading Co.

Best for: Undyed, dye-ready natural fabrics; silk by the yard; fiber-reactive fun.

Why shop here: Dharma specializes in fabrics that take color beautifullycotton, silk, linen, rayon, and moreplus the dyes and tools to finish the job. Great for tie-dye, batik, and custom apparel.

Smart tip: Check shrinkage notes and prewash before dyeing so the final garment hits your target measurements.

10) Etsy (Marketplace)

Best for: Unique prints, vintage deadstock, small-shop quilting bundles, and hard-to-find substrates.

Why shop here: Etsy aggregates thousands of independent fabric sellers. It’s perfect for specialty finds and discontinued collectionsuse filters for U.S. sellers, free shipping, or specific cuts (fat quarters, yards, bolts).

Smart tip: Read reviews and seller policies closely; marketplace inventories vary by shop.

How to Choose the Right Fabric Online (Without Regrets)

Start with the projectand the fiber

Garment projects live or die by drape and weight. If you’re new to apparel, shop by project category (e.g., T-shirts → cotton/spandex jersey; button-downs → cotton poplin or linen). Quilters can shop by designer/collection to get perfect color harmony across blocks.

Use swatches and precuts to your advantage

Color shifts between screens and real life. A $1–$3 swatch can save a whole project. Quilters: precuts (charm packs, jelly rolls, fat quarters) let you test palette and scale before you commit yards.

Check shipping windows and policies

Flat-rate shipping is common for U.S. orders; processing times can add 1–4 days before your package moves. If you’re on deadline, confirm cut-off times for expedited shipping. International buyers should check extra processing (and VAT) notes.

Mind dye lots and reorders

Even solids can shift slightly between runs. If your pattern calls for 3 yards, consider ordering 3.25–3.5 yards to allow for prewash shrinkage and cutting layout.

Why JOANN Isn’t on This List

JOANN’s stores closed in 2025, and the brand’s IP moved to Michaels. If you’re used to shopping at JOANN, Michaels is the closest experience (with more fabric coming online and into stores), while the indie and specialty options above will cover everything from couture yardage to dye-ready naturals.

Conclusion: Your Fabric, Your Way

From couture silks to quilt-ready precuts to dye-it-yourself cottons, the best fabric store is the one that fits your project, timeline, and budget. Start with the quick-comparison table, pick a store tailored to your needs, and remember: swatches and clear shipping expectations are the shortcut to a satisfying unboxing.

Real-World Buying Experiences & Pro Tips ()

What seasoned sewists do before ordering: They measure their favorite garments and compare the fabric’s listed weight and stretch to pieces they already love. For example, a T-shirt jersey in the 180–200 GSM range with ~30–40% crosswise stretch will behave like the knit tees most people wear daily. A woven dress may call for a 3–4 oz/sq yd poplin or lawn if you want crisp structure, versus a 6–7 oz linen for breezier drape. When in doubt, order two swatches: one in your target fiber, one in a “backup” (e.g., Tencel twill vs. rayon challis) to compare hand and opacity.

How experienced quilters shop collections: They often grab a charm pack or jelly roll before yardage. That lets you audition palette and pattern scale across blocks and sashing without committing to 3+ yards. Many then order yardage for borders and backing once they’ve laid out a test block on the design wall. Sites like Fat Quarter Shop make this seamless by grouping by designer/collection so color stories stay cohesive.

Managing color accuracy: Monitors can skew cooler or warmer. Pros compare fabric photos across desktop and phone and watch for “customer photos” on product pages to see the fabric under different lighting. If a project’s success hinges on one exact shade (think bridesmaid dresses or upholstery), a physical swatch is non-negotiable.

Prewash is your insurance policy: Prewashing avoids heartbreak later. Natural fibersespecially cotton and linenshrink and relax. Veteran sewists measure yardage before and after prewash to gauge shrinkage rate, then adjust pattern layouts. Some also serge or zigzag raw edges before prewash to minimize fraying; others use laundry bags for delicate silks.

Shipping & timing realities: Expect a processing windowoften 1–4 business daysbefore shipping. If a deadline looms, look for published cut-off times for expedited services (Mood posts theirs) and consider stores with flat-rate ground that you can upgrade when needed (Fabric Mart and Style Maker both publish simple rate cards). International buyers should watch for additional processing (Mood notes extra days; Stonemountain has paused EU/UK shipping due to VAT).

Stretch, recovery, and “hand” tests: Long-time garment makers keep a “swatch book” with notes: stretch percentage, recovery (does it bounce back?), opacity, and whether the fabric grows with wear. Over time, that notebook becomes a personal fabric GPSyour best-ever T-shirt knit, your favorite trouser twill, your don’t-do-this-again rayon.

Sewing tools you’ll be glad you added: Ballpoint needles for knits; microtex for tightly woven silks; walking foot for slippery or lofty layers; fresh rotary blades for accurate quilt cutting. Most shops above sell the right needles/feet alongside the fabric, simplifying checkout.

Plan for finishing: Dyeables from Dharma open creative doors, but plan the whole workflowscour, prewash, test dyes on a swatch, then dye yardage, then cut. For custom prints (Spoonflower), order a test swatch in the final substrate; scale and saturation can vary across poplin, sateen, or canvas.

Final word from the community: The happiest buyers go in with a plan: fabric characteristics listed, yardage padded for shrinkage, notions added to cart, and a shipping window that matches the project deadline. Whether you’re chasing couture silk, quilting bundles, or an eco-printed wallpaper-to-fabric match, the stores above will get you from idea to “I made this!” with fewer surprises.

SEO Wrap-Up

meta_title: Top 10 Places to Buy Fabric Online (2025 Guide)

meta_description: Shop the 10 best online fabric storesdesigner apparel, quilting cottons, bulk yardage & custom printswith smart tips to pick the right fabric fast.

sapo: Shopping for fabric online just got easier. From runway-worthy silks at Mood to custom prints at Spoonflower and the newly expanded fabric aisles at Michaels, this guide ranks the top 10 places to buy fabric onlineplus pro tips on swatches, shipping, and choosing the right substrate for apparel, quilting, décor, and more.

keywords: buy fabric online, best online fabric stores, quilting cottons, apparel fabrics by the yard, custom printed fabric