Sunday 5 September 2010

52

The Very Big List of the best UK online fabric shops

We UK sewers can often be found lamenting the lack of decent fabric to be found in this fair isle, but there is an increasing selection if you know where to hunt! Thanks to all who answered my call in Twitter and Facebook for their favourite online shops (and in particular to Ali of VeryBerry Handmade with her own fabulous list here). So let's get all the sources together into one gigantic big list...


The Shops Most Likely to be Mentioned By People with Breathy Excitement in their Voices:
  • Kitschy Coo (that's me!):  A large selection of the very best Scandinavian and European knits.  Funky prints, bright colours, quirky style and lots and lots of organic fabrics.  Beyond prints, there's a growing selection of single colour jerseys and ribbing.  I also sell the sewing patterns for many of my designs, and if you don't sew yourself, the finished garments.
  • Ditto: nice website with mostly apparel fabric, comes highly recommended but I haven't succumbed yet!
  • Croft Mill: great selection of mostly apparel fabrics by people who enjoy fabric (I love the names they give!)
  • M is for Make: A great collection of US and Japanese prints from all of your favourite designers and some you haven't heard of yet. Easily navigated with the ability to search by designer, manufacturer, fabric type, theme, colour and more.  Also offers apparel patterns, quilting notions and Japanese pattern books.
  • Fabric Rehab: The tag line is 'Are you addicted to fabric? Do you have sleepless nights dreaming of your next project?' Yes and yes. My kind of shop with funky and retro prints from the US and Japan in quilters weight, home decor weight and oilcloth, plus kits.
  • Ray Stitch: comes highly recommended, they offer designer prints from the US and Japan, a considerable selection of organic fabric, plus Indian silk, lining fabric, plus haberdashery, patterns, trim, and buttons
  • Saints and Pinners: another one that was mentioned by many people as a favourite, offering a good selection of designer prints from the US and Japan with a special mention for Cloud 9 flannel and Anne Marie Horner voile. Also offers patterns and fabric packs.
  • Seamstar: another favourite, with US and Japanese designer fabric from big name designer plus some lesser known but still exciting ranges. Includes Monaluna organic cotton, voile, flannel, home decor weight cotton, plus patterns, ribbons and even an ideas section.
Roll up, roll up. Get your American and Japanese designer prints here (plus quilting basics):
  • Backstitch: growing selection of designer prints (Kaffe Fassett, Valori Wells, Anne Marie Horner, Amy Butler etc) and some patterns to boot
  • Buttonberry: variety of desinger prints (Joel Dewberry, Amy Butler, In the Beginning, Lecien & Moda)
  • Celtic Fusion Fabrics: eclectic (and lovely!) selection of American and Japanese designer prints, as well as some Westfalenstoffe
  • Coast and Country: mostly for the quilters!
  • The Cotton Patch: Designer fabrics, quilting fabrics and haberdashery
  • Creative Quilting: another one for the quilters
  • Crafts and Quilts: another one for the quilters
  • Doughty's Online: Could conceivably be in the Superstore section due to it's size / range but differentiated by the large selection of designer prints (Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett), specialist fabric (batik, character, seasonal) and haberdashery
  • Emma Garry Designs: Designer quilting weight and home decor weight fabric from Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Heather Bailey, Tanya Wheelan etc plus some patterns and packs
  • The Eternal Maker: Something for everyone (if you can find it!), with designer fabric from the US and Japan, plus haberdashery, kits, notions, patterns and non-sewing crafty goodies. Maybe. The site is very hard to navigate :(
  • Fabulous Fabrics: designer fabrics (Alexander Henry, Michael Miller, Amy Butler, Robert Kaufman etc) but a bit pricey
  • Fabric Loft: small but well chosen selection from designers such as Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, Heather Bailey, Michael Michael, Tanya Whelan, plus sewing patterns and and bundles
  • Fancy Moon: Designer quilting weight and home decor weight fabric (Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Kokka, Lecien, plus many more) plus patterns and notions
  • Fabric Inspirations: Mostly for the quilters but also offers some Michael Miller and Robert Kaufman prints
  • Fabrics Plus: Big selection of designer prints (Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Moda, Makower, Erin McMorris) plus craft basics and dressmaking basics.
  • Gaga Fabric: American and Japanese designer fabrics that are 'retro, funky, cute, unusual, unique and hard-to-find cotton fabric prints that are not easily available from other UK retailers'
  • Get Knitted: Inside this mainly knitting site, there's quite a bit of Amy Butler.
  • Gone to Earth: If I had to buy designer fabric in the UK, this would be my first stop because not only do they have a great selection but the woman who runs it is lovely and helpful
  • Lucy Loves Fabric: designer fabric from Amy Butler, Anne Marie Horner, Heather Bailey, Liberty etc but also trimmings and vintage fabric
  • Lymington Fabrics: mostly for the quilters but with some designer prints from Makower, Moda and Timeless Treasures
  • Millie Moon: big selection of US and Japanese designer prints including Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Joel Dewberry, Alexander Henry
  • Nerybeth Crafts: Huge selection of designer prints from Amy Butler, Anne Marie Horner, Moda, Makower, Moda, Heather Bailey plus licensed prints, quilting basics, many sewing patterns, and haberdashery
  • Patch Fabrics: good selection of designer prints (Michael Miller, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Tanya Whelan, Heather Bailey plus the delicious Anne Marie Horner voiles) plus lovely trims / ribbons / notions
  • Patchwork Direct: basic quilting fabric and supplies plus some designer prints (Moda was the only one I recognised it their tricky sidebar!)
  • Pelenna Patchworks: large selection of quilting fabric including Free Spirit, Michael Miller and Westminster
  • Prints to Polkadots: large selection of designer prints by the FQ and yard (Alexander Henry, Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Free Spirit, Moda, plus the first place I've seen Riley Blake!)
  • Quilter's Cloth: The online shop is having a refurb but the front page looks promising!
  • The Quilt Room: quilting superstore with packs, rolls, and supplies
  • River Fabrics: Designer cotton fabric from Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry, Kate Spain, Keiki and Momo, by the metre and in bundle packs
  • Simply Solids: Specialises in plain coloured Kona cottons from Robert Kaufman, plus Moda cottons, but also home to some of my favourite printed fabrics from emerging designers Laurie Wishbrun, Patti Young and Laura Gunn.
  • The Sewing Studio: beyond the sewing machines on offer, there's also a pretty extensive fabric selection for quilting including some designer fabrics from Amy Butler, Makower, Kaffe Fassett and some patterns to boot (and some are free!)
  • Tikki London: designer fabrics by the metre and in roll, kit, and pack form, plus some vintage fabrics

Speciality shops-- those with a Unique Selling Point!
  • African Fabric Shop: I think you can guess the USP for this one!
  • Beyond Fabrics: cotton fabrics with a distinct retro feel
  • British Made Eco: huge selection of Eco fabrics including organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soya, silk and wool
  • Cath Kidson: Duck, linen and oilcloth in her own inimitable style. Pricey :(
  • Clothaholics: Japanese Kimono fabric and Genshodo Indigo fabric
  • Clothkits: Most well- known for their kits, but also sell interesting basics plus fabric from Liberty, MiniModerns, Kokka, and some screenprinted fabric
  • Donna Flower: Vintage fabric loveliness
  • Dots n Stripes: European imports from Hilco, Stenzo, Bizzkids and Polytex plus Euro patterns and notions.
  • Euro Japan Links: basic (as opposed to designer) Japanese cotton fabric, but you have to phone to pay
  • Kid's Fabrics: Selection of child-centric fabrics for apparel and soft furnishing
  • Liberty: Renowed British designer of beautiful fabric. Pricey but special.
  • MacCullogh & Wallis: This should probably be in the Superstore section because of the extensive range but it's not cheap. And for good reason, everything here is super classy and a bit special.
  • Oddie's Textiles: Not the best website but a good selection of novelty / seasonal prints and fleece
  • Organic Cotton UK: Huge selection of organic knit and woven fabric in various weights, and in nice colours!
  • Pennine Outdoors: Sport, performance and outdoor fabrics including fleece, nylon and waterproof
  • Sewbox: An exciting mix of interesting and unusual fabrics. Liberty poplin, lawn and silk, organic knits, some American / Japanese designers, sewing patterns and packs / kits. Website is impressive.
  • Shaukat: Middle Eastern fabrics and Liberty prints
  • Tummetott Fabrics: Scandanavian jersey fabric
  • Vend Fabrics: Sports, leisure and fashion fabrics. Great selection of knits in various weights and blends.
  • Vida la Frida: lovely Mexican oilcloth
  • Well Cultivated: Bamboo knit and woven fabric 
And finally, the fabric superstores:

The Fabric Supermarkets-- those offering a huge variety of fabric types / good for basics / reasonable prices
  • Abakhan: a treasure trove of fabric and haberdashery, but I've heard their bricks and morter shop is even better!
  • Chawla's: good source for basic fabrics in different weights
  • Calico Laine: vast selection in a pleasant website
  • Cheap Fabrics: huge variety, including dress, dancewear, drapery and craft fabrics
  • Ebay fabrics: bigger than any single online shop, you can find most fabrics and haberdashery here. Favourite shops are Quality Fabrics 4 U (designer quilters cotton), Favourite Fabrics (different weights of printed cotton and lush trims), Infashionfabrics (great stretch fabric selection), Sewfabrics (Liberty and unique jersey) and Fabric Garden (designer quilters cotton)
  • Fabric UK: perhaps one of the biggest selections (incl lots of specialist stuff!) but the site is tricky to browse
  • Fabricland: one of the hardest websites ever, but worth it for the gigantic selection of fabrics including lots of things you won't see elsewhere. Good prices too, but you can't order online, you'll need to phone.
  • Online Fabrics: One of the biggest shops with a tremendous variety of fabric types
  • Totally Fabrics: I've never used them but they come recommended and their tag line is 'We offer a unique range of fabrics specialising in prints and fancies mostly unavailable elsewhere.' Sounds promising!
God all mighty, but that took me forever. If I missed any (which I'm sure I did), leave the address in a comment and I'll add it!

52 comments:

  1. Wow! That's a list to be reckoned with!! Well done. There are some there that I've not heard of before. Will be checking them out very soon. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for linking to my list. You're right - it was a lot of work to put together, but very enjoyable :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Woah, that's some list. And has a few people I hadn't heard of, so thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh dear. my bank manager is not going to like you!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wooeee! That's a fantastic list:) if likely to be somewhat bad for my bank account!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, what a great list! Would it be alright to also add Sewbox http://www.sewbox.co.uk ? it's a new shop I set up recently and I sell lots of luscious dressmaking fabrics including hard to find Liberty poplins, silks and jerseys :-)

    Happy sewing... xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, what a fantastic resource. Good to hear you promoting ebay businesses too - any chance of adding me I'm ebay seller(100% positive feedback)sewfabrics and I sell fab liberty fabrics, hard to find jerseys and lovely designer furnishing fabrics. I also have a new website www.sewfabrics.co.uk I sew for my children and source great fabircs for childrens clothing.

    Thanks!
    Julia

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is fantastic, thanks for taking the time to compile this for us!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Do still have arms - or have they dropped off after all this typing???

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well done you for the list, if ok with you I have a tab on my blog page so may somehow copy and past them in there (but only if you say yes!)
    Also you have won 2m of gingham bias binding in my giveaway. Just pop over and let me know which colour you want........oh and email me you address. Kx

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've just blogged about you!!
    http://sewscrumptious.blogspot.com/2010/09/kitschy-coo-apology.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thankyou thankyou!! An amazing list!!
    Feel so envious of the American gals but good to know there are options for us UK lasses too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Could I ask for Stone Fabrics and Sewing Surgery to be added to your list? It's a dress fabric shop based in Totnes in South Devon specialising in affordable designer fabrics-Wool, linen, cotton, silk in lovely modern and classic prints and plain for all your dressmaking needs, along with a comprehensive selection of haberdashery.
    The website fabric galleries show fabrics as they come in so it's worth going back regularly. The mail order service is fast, friendly and efficient and the staff really know what they are talking about if you need advice.

    Sorry, I've rambled, but it's a very exciting shop if you are into fabric!

    Thanks!
    Bess

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Amanda

    Thank you for mentioning my fabric shop! And for reminding a lot of people that there are cool fabric shops in the UK :)

    Lizzet xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi
    Thank You for mentioning Patch...
    what a fab comprehensive list - I can tell it took you ages..great work :-)
    Claire

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great list of on line fabric - could you add Bishopston Trading Company
    www.bishopstontrading.co.uk - we sell a very popular range of Fairtrade certified organic cotton by the metre in our on line shop.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Interesting... I was searching this info for my uncle. He will be happy for such a great info. Thanks for sharing...
    Ana

    ReplyDelete
  18. I just have to agree that your collection of fabric lists are incredibly awesome. I admire your skills and insightful thoughts for making those collection awesomely inspiring. Thanks for posting this article. I would be very pleased to come back again.

    ReplyDelete
  19. It's definitely a Very Big List already, but I've got another one for you!
    White Lodge Fabric at http://www.whitelodgefabric.com/engine/shop/index.html only sell dress fabrics - with a particular emphasis on fabrics for making dance wear. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you - I have been hunting for ages to find somewhere to buy nice fabrics! This is an excellent list and much appreciated. Thanks for posting!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Just wanted to say thank you for adding our shop to your links. It is very much appreciated.
    With very huge thanks
    Helen

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, can´t stop looking at all this juciy fabric! Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I've been looking for a source of reasonably priced organic cotton for baby clothes in the UK so thank you very much for this!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great list - well done. Would you consider adding my website to this list? Its www.modellifabrics.com. We specialise in selling exclusive mid-market fabrics to the public and have more than 800 available, in all styles and types,stocked right here in the UK. We offer free sample cuttings too!

    Many thanks in advance
    Tim Kennedy
    Partner Modelli Fabrics

    ReplyDelete
  25. Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiikeeeeeeeeeeee!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you so much, where are you though. I found this page on a google search for knit fabrics and only after searching most of the shops did I find you sell them too. Big yourself up as well.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is a great list. If you have time to visit Japan Couture Addicts (a French blog) you can find addresses in France for the same kind of shops. Anna ka Bazaar is amazing but there are also Ma Petite Mercerie and others. They ship to Britain. Anne

    ReplyDelete
  28. I list worthy of praise! Thanks for listing so many neat resources in one spot!

    ReplyDelete
  29. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great list, thank you. I would heartily NOT recommend myfabrics.co.uk. They do have a great selection, but their customer service is appalling. They didn't have what I ordered so the order was cancelled but a few months later they took money from my account and it took 18 emails and many weeks of trouble to get them to refund me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no! I've just placed a large order from myfabrics.co.uk too and I really, really hope I get my fabric but I had no joy contacting them this morning. As far as I'm concerned they shouldn't let you order unless they have the material ready and available. They have my money and I have no fabric and have to wait another week before getting an update even :(

      Delete
    2. Hope it all works out, Checkformonsters, keep us posted!

      Delete
    3. I have eventually got some, though not all, of my fabrics from Myfabrics. It is lovely, lovely stuff though so imo worth the wait - you just have to keep hassling them! They did apologise (in several different languages) and sent a pair of scissors for the trouble xx

      Delete
  31. A FANTASTIC list!! There are many that I know on here, and also many that I don't know. Thank you for your hard work!
    Please can I ask for http://www.elephantinmyhandbag.com/ to be added. They have VERY drool worthy fabrics. I wish it was my business .... but then, I'd never part with any of the fabrics!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Carmen - Blush - I work on the basis that I don't stock anything I don't love ! Stephanie @ Elephant in my Handbag x

      Delete
  32. Amazing list, I used http://www.fabricuk.com even been to the warehouse in brum, ask them nicely and they will give you free fabric samples

    ReplyDelete
  33. TA big thank you for this fantastic list! I'm desperately trying to find fresh, contemporary fabrics for my makes but sadly the local fabric shops stock zero of the kind of fabrics I'm looking for so will go fabric hunting based on your list!

    ReplyDelete
  34. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. This is brilliant - thank you for your hard work compiling all of these!

    ReplyDelete
  36. now I'm really thrilled i found your site. you're right! it's so hard to find UK stockists! thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Wow, this is exactly what I was searching for. Thanks so much for compiling this list!

    Nali from naliandcar.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. OMG this list is amazing! Although it may bankrupt me knowing all this fabric is out there!

    I recently came across www.minervacrafts.com/ who have a massive range so they could go on your list

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Can anyone recommend a fabric shop in Nottingham. I'm looking for one that will sell fabric for a dress making. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing me that the sort of classy fabric I want is actually out there for sale. I really appreciate all the time it took for you to collate this information and I am so grateful to you.

    ReplyDelete
  41. One of my own personal favourites is missing from this list - Plush Addict! www.plushaddict.co.uk - they are fab! I'm very grateful for a new place to order knits from though, a wider range is always appreciated!!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Has anyone tried Joel & Son Fabrics? They are based in Marlyebone They specialise in haute couture fabrics but have a huuuuuuge range of everything else. They now have a brand new website which offers worldwide shipping too. Have a look? www.joelandsonfabrics.com

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thanks for your awesome list!!! I will definitely check these out. Liberty fabrics are amazing, but pricey but indeed, worth it if you want to treat yourself or want to make something special! :)

    ReplyDelete
  44. I haven't tried sewing with stretch yet, but I get my fleece from a company that sell a lot of stretch fabrics called Tissu Fabrics. They only sell whole metres, so I always have a half a metre left over, but they give a good service and have very reasonable prices. The prints (apart from animal prints) are a bit old fashioned, but I love my fleece Tiger Stripe dressing gown!

    http://tissufabrics.co.uk/fabric-store/

    ReplyDelete