Online Material Shopping!

Written By Skyler W

I have been fabric shopping for a very long time in online spaces. It’s not always easy and it can sometimes feel like ordering a blind box even with the best descriptions. Hopefully I can help make this easier and provide some resources and information that’s helpful!

 In this doc I will outline my favorite places to shop and let you in on tips and tricks to navigate the sites. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I will be updating this as I find new information so stop by as often as you like! 

Happy Shopping!

Textiles, Trims

Mood Fabrics

If I am looking for something specific and have a higher budget to do so, I often choose Mood fabrics. I do think their site is pretty beginner friendly. I absolutely love all the information they proved on each fabric. They even have guides for types of garments the material is best suited for. I think even if you don’t intend to buy from Mood, taking time to navigate the site and learn about fabrics is highly beneficial, with all the information they share, it is a very powerful training tool. Also I have never been disappointed by their fabrics.

Proes

  • Specialize in apparel fabrics

  • Very easy to navigate by color, fabric, weight, type, etc. 

  • Free shipping on orders over $150 in us

  • Quality materials

  • Accurate descriptions and classification of fabrics

  • Example of end uses in graphics

  • They share lots of info under ‘product specifications’ like fiber type, Country of origin, Skill level,

  • Swatch options available

  • Minimum yardage is .5

Cons

  • High price tag 

  • Not a lot of trims/lace

Fashion Fabrics Club

I do love their ‘see it on a garment’ feature.

When I’m looking for a good bargain Fashion Fabrics club always has good prices, but they aren’t as good at describing their fabrics so sometimes buying can feel like a risk. I highly suggest if there is a word in the description or title of the fabric you don’t know, find the definition by searching it. One simple word in a description could completely change the weight and texture of the fabric from what you might be expecting. Otherwise their website is really easy to navigate with categories by type, color etc.

Prose 

  • Huge library of materials from Apparel to home decor

  • Budget friendly

  • Navigation by type and color etc

  • They do share lots of information about fabric fiber content, transparency, stretch, drape, luster etc

  • Examples of end uses

  • ‘See it on garment’ features

  • Free shipping orders over 100 in US

  • Minimum yardage is 1 yard

Cons

  • Navigation is a little overwhelming

  • Color/descriptions are detailed but advanced

  • Not all fabrics have super detailed photographs

Fabric Wholesale Direct

I love their website. The navigation is really easy and they don’t have such an overwhelming library of materials. Their selection of brocades and jacquards are absolutely stunning, and they are very accurate to website images. Everything is high quality and described well. They have a section just for trims and have a lot of the fancy beaded kind that I layer in a lot of my builds. I like their ‘Shop by fabric application’ section

Prose 

  • Easy sight navigation

  • Budget friendly

  • Navigation by type and color etc

  • They do share lots of information about fabric, like fiber content, weight, thickness, stretch, etc

  • Really great descriptions including examples of what garments the fabric is suitable for

  • Care instructions

Cons

  • You don’t have a lot of control over yardage. Each listing offers a different selection, some trims minimum yards can be 4.9 etc. Most fabrics though are a minimum 1 yard

  • They don’t take down out of stock listings. I think this is an indicator that something might be returning at some point. It may be personal opinion, but I don’t like to fall in love with a fabric, click the add to cart and get ‘out of stock’

Silk Barron

I love Silk Bardon for high quality reliable silks. Silks can vary in weight, fiber content, and texture. So take this into consideration when purchasing. Raw silk will have more texture and can sometimes be stiff when compared to synthetic fiber silk. Fabrics are good quality and the website is a bit dated but easy to navigate.

Prose 

  • Big selection of silk

  • Specialized in silk

  • Minimum yards 1

  • Decent descriptions

Cons

  • Basic information - a beginner might have to do more research to understand exactly what they are getting

  • Basic 1 photo of material

Textile Manipulation, Dyes, Paints etc.

Dharma Trading Co

They offer so many different textile paints like silk painting, natural dyes, fabric painting and more! And they offer full kits for beginners so you can get quality items and a good start before you start to find your unique needs.

Prose 

  • Huge selection of paints, dyes, acid dyes. You will probably find things you never thought were possible here.

  • Kits for trying new techniques and getting started. Good quality very beginner friendly

  • I like their section ‘Learning hub’

  • Affordable

  • Website is easy to navigate in several ways, by craft type etc

  • You can purchase basic fabrics that work best for craft type, and a selection of premade clothing for craft types as well

Cons

  • Shipping costs

Skyler W