Hi, my name is Kelly and I’m a fabric-holic. At the time of this writing, I have spent money on fabric exactly two hours ago, and I have two fabric club subscription boxes on their way to me. I think about fabric multiple times a day. I search for it on the internet and mentally decided what I could make with it. I dream of having an unlimited budget so that my stash can grow and grow and grow and grow and grow.

Because you can never have enough fabric right? RIGHT? You know what, if you disagree, don’t tell me. It’s better that way!

In all seriousness, I actually don’t think my stash is as large as others out there. The thing is, I have two separate stashes: my personal stash, made up of drapey fabrics and cozy knits to make my own stuff and is actually fairly small, and my work stash, which is pretty much anything I can get for a reasonable price since I work with kids, and which takes up an entire closet.

My fabric comes from many sources, but there are a few I use consistently, and I thought it would be helpful to outline a few of those. Before I do, I admittedly don’t have a wide variety of fabric sources. When I find something I like, I tend to stick with it, and you’re definitely going to see that reflected here.

I have found that, with sewing my own garments, my fabric quality tastes have changed drastically. I’m not knocking places like Joann Fabrics, as I go to them frequently and use those fabrics when I need to do costuming projects, but for my own personal sewing, I find that I am always looking for something a little more high quality.

Here are some of my favorites.

Sew Over It London

It should come as no surprise that my top favorite place to buy fabric is Sew Over It. They have beautiful fabrics, curated for their patterns. And as I love their patterns most of all, it makes perfect sense that I should also love the fabrics they recommend. I have never met a fabric from their shop that I didn’t like. Shopping online can be kind of daunting, especially since you can’t touch the fabrics and feel their weight and texture, but I can always rest easy knowing that my fabric selections from Sew Over It will be high quality. I also know that even if something arrives and it’s not exactly what I wanted for the intended project, it will be perfect for something else and therefore won’t go to waste.

For this reason, I have joined their woven and knit fabric clubs. It’s so much fun to get a surprise every month, and since my style seems very similar to founder Lisa Comfort’s, I can rest assured that I will like the fabrics, even if they are not something I would’ve chosen. Their woven box in particular has been amazing.

My only complaint about their shop, and it is not really something within their control, is the exchange rate of dollars to pounds and the shipping cost. They are definitely worth it, in my opinion, but it always hurts just a tad to have that high shipping added in!

Blackbird Fabrics

Blackbird Fabrics is a new find for me. The owner is one of the hosts of the Love to Sew podcast, which I recently discovered and absolutely love. Caroline and Helen are the sewing friends you didn’t know you needed! So of course I had to check out Caroline’s shop, Blackbird Fabrics, after listening to a few episodes. Contrary to Sew Over It, I don’t have to pay duties on their fabric, and so this fact alone makes them amazing in my book. They also have amazing basic solid-colored knits, which is something I don’t like to buy from Sew Over It due to the aforementioned exchange rates.

Admittedly, I’ve only made two purchases from their site, and as of this writing have only received one, but the fabric was gorgeous. I used it for my recent Zadie dress, and it definitely made me want to come back for more. I recently purchased both of their bee print woven fabrics, as I couldn’t decide which one I liked more!

Rifle Paper Co.

Those who have been following my instagram for a while know that I adore Rifle Paper Co. Not traditionally a fabric store, they do have a fabric line with Cotton and Steel. Thus far, they have come out with – I believe – four collections of fabrics of their signature florals as well as some quirky prints. Each collection is available in cotton, cotton lawn, rayon and canvas, depending on the fabric. Their new collection just came out, and I am already itching to get my hands on some of the new fabrics! I’m not crazy about their current lawns and rayons, but there’s a cotton print I just have to have.

Rifle Paper Co is also worth checking out for their beautiful art prints, calendars, rugs, planners – you name it, they may have it! (And in turn, I also probably have it: I’ve got their phone case, their fabric, calendars, etc. I have my eye on one of their rugs for my sewing space, and I’m hoping they dive into the world of bed linens soon!)

Fabric.com

Don’t knock fabric.com til you’ve tried it! The quality can be questionable depending on the fabric, and I have admittedly gotten a few duds over the years, but when you’re buying a brand you’re familiar with (i.e. the aforementioned Rifle Paper Company or the larger umbrella of the Cotton and Steel brand), you can get a good deal. They also have a wide variety of costume and dance wear fabrics, which I use often in my work. I spent a lot of time on fabric.com when I am costuming a show.

Mood Fabrics

I’m not a huge “in person” fabric shopper (I prefer shopping from my couch), but when I do go fabric shopping, Mood is my store of choice. THere’s nothing you can’t find there if you’re willing to do a little hunting. Word of caution, however: Mood can be a little intimidating if you are hunting for the perfect fabric. I’m sure most people have heard of Mood through Project Runway, and have seen the designers run through the crowded aisles. It’s honestly not that far from reality, except that in real life there’s far less running. Even so, if you’re willing to put in the time or just like going around touching a lot of fabrics, Mood is the place to be! Their price range varies quite a bit depending on quality of fabric and the designer. They do also have an online component should you not live in NYC and can get to the store conveniently.

Of course, these are not my sole fabric sources, they are simply the most frequent. What online stores do you love to get your fabric from?