So, apparently with little warning, the once ubiquitous Fabric.com is no more. Visitors to the homepage are now greeted with the following:
It’s a bit crazy because I just placed an order on a bit of a whim at the start of the month to get a few things to pair with the fabrics I bought in New York. Apparently that was, unbeknownst to me at the time, my last order from the website.
I will say, I’m not the first to break this news. I’m sure that there are countless other blogs posts going up about it, but I heard this first on The Sewing Report’s YouTube Channel:
I am… not entirely sure what to think about this. I am for sure going to miss the website’s organization, filter options, design wall feature, multiple pay options, range of fabric selections, and fairly consistent levels of name-brand or decent quality basic fabrics. And I’m definitely going to miss the delightful “JACKPOT” stickers that came when you ordered fabric close to a bolt and and they just threw in the rest of the bolt for free. I also think that any loss of a resource for the sewing/crafting community hurts everyone a bit. On the other hand, Amazon has been managing this business for a while, so I was finding myself trying to support smaller business wherever possible before buying from Fabric.com. Plus, my stash is so sizable and my sewing time so minimal that I really haven’t been needing or buying a ton of fabric lately anyway. (Vacation fabric shopping being a notable exception, obviously.)
Amazon is apparently still going to offer fabric items on their Amazon Fabric Shop. I suppose it’s worth a try to see what comes out of ordering from there, but I have to say, I find the filters and options much less helpful than the old Fabric.com website. I also find looking at fabric on Amazon’s website unenjoyable for some reason? Somehow the presentation of fabric on Amazon doesn’t make me want to buy it; I think because it feels super commoditized. It just isn’t giving me the inspirational feelings I get when I do buy fabrics. I think it’s hard to imagine creating something unique when you only getting one tiny image of the fabric as a shopping guide, and as much as I have gotten a lot of amazing fabric from online purchases over the years, I’ve also gotten a lot of duds. You always know it’s something of a gamble, but I’m not sure how much I want to gamble on Amazon fabric, especially after what I presume to be leftover Fabric.com stock is depleted. Also, while there is currently a lot of fabric offered by the yard, one of the speculations on the Sewing Report video is that Amazon might move to pre-cut yardage bundles, because cutting fabric to length is definitely the slow part of the process. That’s also a bit of a deterrent, especially with inflation raising the prices of everything including fabric. If fabric is sold as pre-cut 1, 3, 5, or 10 yard packs, for example, but you need 6 yards, that is a lot of unnecessary fabric that could have gone elsewhere.
I feel like this is a good time to have a discussion in the comments. Did you use Fabric.com? Will you miss having it as a resource? Is this a sign of a possible greater contraction for resources of sewing and crafting supplies, or just Bezos being greedy? Do you think that Amazon’s Fabric Shop is going to fulfill a similar function? Do you trust Amazon to cut your fabrics? Would you buy pre-cut bundles if that becomes the new trend? With Fabric.com being gone, what other online fabric shops are your favorites and why? Or, what online fabric shops might you be thinking about buying from now that Fabric.com is no longer an option? Let’s discuss!
Doctor T Designs 
I loved Fabric.com before Amazon took over. I drifted away when Stephen sold it to amazon. Now it’s fabricmart for me!
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I tried ordering fabric from Amazon once- I was able to find the name brand flannel I wanted… but I was aggravated they sent me two 1-yard cuts instead a two-yard length which wasn’t going to work for my project so I had to send it back. While the free returns is a plus, it will be my last resort I think. If I can’t find something at the local shop I go to Etsy fabric sellers, then to fabric.com, so I’m sorry to lose them at an option.
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Oh, I also love ordering from StyleMaker fabrics online, esp because they have a swatch review on Youtube with the Inside the Hem channel so I can see the hand of their newest fabrics every 6 months.
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I’ll miss fabric.com for Kaufman and Telio garment fabric. I’m not sure where to find them. I’ll look at Etsy.
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Hawthorne Supply Co. has a good selection of Kaufman fabrics, for both apparel and quilting. I’m with you on Telio though, fabric.com was my go-to!
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Thank you Sara. I’ve never shopped there, I’ll go check them out.
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Farmhouse Fabrics is heirloom specialty, but includes designer fabrics and might be worth looking into. I love their silks,linens and cottons.
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Although I’d rather buy fabric in person, I have bought from the U.K.-based Minerva crafts. They have a really extensive group of sewers who post what they make, and projects are linked to the page for the fabric they used. It is very helpful to see how the fabric looks when made into a garment and be able to read some feedback about weight and drape.
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I hadn’t ordered in a while but loved Fabric.com but loved to window shop
I tried Amazon Fabrics …Never again…far too frustrating to find anything and even if you do, the information about the fabric is inadequate
I had seen something on both Fabric.com and the fabric.com “store” on Amazon. I didn’t order it that time but decided I wanted it except as a smallish order, I wanted to use Amazon Prime to save shipping. Could not find it on Amazon.
Got frustrated, gave up. A few days later, I got one of those “We think you’ll like this..” emails from Amazon with the exact fabric I couldn’t find a few days earlier.
Didn’t buy
trying to find fabric at Amazon …frustrating, exhausting, stressful, poor search criteria …not set up for anyone who has been sewing for more than a minute
there are much better places
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I’m sorry to see it go. I’ll miss it. Thanks for the advice on buying fabric from Amazon. I think I’ll skip it!
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I’m sorry to see it go. I’ll miss it. Thanks for the advice on buying fabric from Amazon. I think I’ll skip it!
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I haven’t used fabric.com. I am lucky to have an independent fabric shop near me, as well as “Fabricland”. I do purchase fabric online because I can’t get organic, Oekotech or tensil otherwise. I like simplifabric, organiccottonplus, and I am about to try a new one in B.C. I find the difficult part about buying fabric online is assessing the weight and drape. The other issue is that the selection is more geared to children or crafts than garments.
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I have had so many disappointments with fabric.com that I’ve started avoiding it, though there were certain things that they sold that I can’t find elsewhere (as easily). It was a good option to have, and Amazon’s travesty of a “fabric store” is no substitute. At some point not too long ago, I did some comparison shopping for the same exact fabrics on Amazon vs. fabric.com. Amazon would run slightly more expensive for some reason. Like, fabric.com would list something for $10.50/yd, and Amazon would list it for $10.99/yd. It’s not a huge difference but it was enough to annoy me into shopping elsewhere. And yes, pre-cut yardage is insane. I actually started wondering whether, if I ordered 4 yards from Amazon, I’d receive four 1-yard cuts.
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I’m in shock too. I love exactly the same things, the filters, the organization…and the detail of info about the fabric. I don’t sre myself buying fabric from amazon. I don’t trust thrm for that.
I recommend the following websites of small business which Iike and bought from them before…totally recommend.
Stylemaker Sew Much Fabric
Have a great day
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I understand it is a drag for those who enjoyed shopping there and had a great experience. I’m totally okay with this shop being gone. I used it about 10 years ago when there were few options. I have access to great online fabric stores in Canada , for example Core Fabrics and Blackbird Fabrics to name just a few. . Also , there is a small garment district in my city.
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This is shocking! It was my ‘go to’ for online fabric.
Thank you for posting the info, though.
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I bought from fabric.com only a few times. High shipping costs and then additional taxes made me look elsewhere. I liked browsing on occasion though and also liked knowing that the fabric could be sent to me. This isn’t true with Amazon.com – they often won’t ship outside of the US.
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I don’t know what to think about this. Part of me is quite glad Amazon are getting out of the fabric business because it wouldn’t have been good for sewists long term. But if Amazon can’t make it pay who can? I’m sad that the bricks and mortar sewing shop in my home town that I used as a child has shut down.
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I have to admit being “shocked” by Fabric.com’s closing email. I had to check the previous day’s sales flier. Yup, here today, gone tomorrow.
I have to think that a broader marketplace gives sewists many more choices quality and price-wise. I’m also ‘adverse’ to exorbitant shipping charges, and did like getting Prime delivery from Fabric. com.
All in all I miss fondling fabrics in a local fabric shop that isn’t Joann’s. (Which I’ll admit is getting some better quality, natural, fabrics.)
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I never ordered from Fabric.com, because I can’t yet get over needing to feel the fabric before buying. Yes, free returns are good when offered, but there’s still the hassle of being disappointed, packing it back up, and getting it mailed/shipped back. Even so, I’ll miss them. Especially one that was in business so many years. And by most reviews, were good with what they offered and their service. Yet another good business has been run into the ground & trashed by Amazon.
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Fabric.com use to RMW (Rock My World). I just ordered something from them about a month or so ago. I have a NWR (New World Rocker) and it’s Fabricmart. It was a sewing friend who first introduced me to Fabric.com some years ago. It’s sad that another one bites the dust 😦 … FIESTA ANYHOW 🙂
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I was so disappointed to see that fabric.com was no more, especially without a clearing-out-the-stocks sale! I’ve definitely ordered a lot from them over the years. I especially liked their selection of Kona cotton for quilting, because they used the same naming convention as my Kaufman color chart–super easy to pick colors and order them. I’ve also purchased a lot of nice rayon challis from there, and the lovely Robert Kaufman shirting. Fabric.com did come through in a major pinch for me over the summer–I ordered fabric on Friday night and it was on my doorstep on Monday, AND it was exactly what I expected it to be! 😉
My go-to online fabric stores are Mood, Gorgeous Fabrics, Fashion Fabrics Club, and Stylemaker Fabrics. I’ve also gotten a few good pieces from Etsy, but you have to know what you’re looking for and narrow down the search results. (Side note, has anyone else noticed that the Etsy search feature sucks all of a sudden?! If I type “Vogue 1293”, I want to see copies of Vogue 1293 pop up, not every single Vogue pattern for sale on Etsy! What the heck happened over there?! Ok, side rant over.)
RIP Fabric.com, you will be missed!
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Oh boy. The only thing more discouraging than the loss of fabric.com is the thought that we’re supposed to use Amazon to buy fabric. I was buying from fabric.com even before Amazon bought it, and that transition actually was not bad – a few things disappeared but it was mostly seamless to the shopper. This latest development sounds like it’s just a step toward phasing fabrics out completely. Unless you want to count Amazon’s thousands of “craft fabric” listings or the Spoonflower fabric (why would you get that on Amazon instead of Spoonflower?). I have Stylemaker and FabricMart to fall back on, but neither has the vast selection or low prices I could count on with fabric.com. Sad!
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Never ordered from Fabric.com as the postage to Australia was either impossible or the incredibly costly. I have used LA Finch a couple of times, but not of late. The exchange rate + postage cost + postage time is enough to stop anyone.
I do use local online shops but am limiting that to the times when I just cannot get something in-person. I live near a few shops that have lovely collections of dead-stock fabrics and can usually get what I need there.
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I haven’t really shopped there since Amazon took it over, for whatever reason. I did discover Fabric-Store.com which is linen fabric, but it really good quality linen for a budget price. And I really like the feel of linen. I have had a couple of nightgowns that I made out of them and they are my favorites as I like the feel more than cotton. As for other fabric, I tend to get some apparel fabrics from DenverFabrics and Nick of Time fabrics. Both are more clearance type sites that you have to read the descriptions carefully, but you have to do that with everything. Nick of Time has some end of rolls of fabric that is used in the garment industry, so you can find Wrangler denim there. I haven’t found anything that I didn’t like there. I just got a thick brown cable knit sweater fabric from Denver Fabrics that I ended up making into a soft natural style sweater that one of my friends wondered if I was channeling my inner Jedi. 😀 It was a great fabric, is what I am saying. Mood is too expensive for me and the quality seems on par with those other two sites. Onlinefabricstore.com has some interesting stuff over there. I have haunted the site a little bit but haven’t bought anything yet.
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Thank you, Sariah, for the information.
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I got the Amazon shock before I saw your blog. You nicely captured what a loss this is. I try hard to avoid Amazon and only go there as a last resort or when I (due to my own poor planning) need something quickly. The thought of spending money on fabric from there is not in any way consistent with my joy of sewing and all the steps in the process that lead to a final, satisfying project. Amazon is not about joy or creativity, it’s solely about making money.
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