Buying Fabric Online? Here's How to Save at Our Favorites

Buying fabric online gives you a lot more options than shopping in person. The main issue is you’re less likely to run into store manager discounts, like the Hobby Lobby deals you can find in-store. While the best place to buy fabric online may not always be the cheapest, there are ways to save. For example, there are typically discount codes to save a percentage on your order. 

If you prefer to touch and feel fabric under fluorescent store lights, Hobby Lobby fabric sales are a thing (just check the store sales schedule). Or, look to stores like Hobby Lobby to see if they also host their fabric departments online.

We're gathering some of the most popular online fabric retailers, and why you may (or may not) want to shop at each one. While not all of them are “cheap,” we will let you in on ways you can save while you’re spending on quality. 

Text HACKS to 57299 for all of our favorite smart-shopping tips delivered to your phone.

Spoonflower

Pros: 

• They offer 20% off site-wide...a lot.

• You can get that same print on wallpaper, table runners, throw pillows, or any number of other home decor items. 

• Can order by the yard — or you can purchase a swatch or fat quarter. 

• You can upload your own design, creating your very own fabric. You also have the option to sell your design and earn a commission when others purchase it.

Cons: 

• You’ll pay for all that customization. Spoonflower is expensive. 

• You can get free shipping as a Pro Member — but that membership will run you $249 per year. 

Spoonflower is a lot more than just fabric. Their hyper stylized designs can be ordered across about 20 different types of fabric. But, you can also get it on home decor items like wallpaper, bed sheets, cocktail napkins, and more. You can even turn Spoonflower into a side hustle by selling your own designs for a commission.

The biggest con of Spoonflower is that it’s pricey. While you can get some perks like free shipping when you become a Pro Member, that membership will cost you a pretty penny at $249 per year. 

How to Save: You're not going to find Hobby Lobby, Joann, or Michaels prices even with a coupon at Spoonflower. That's how expensive you'll find the product. However, they regularly have 20% off coupons (seriously, don't buy from them without using one). Or if you sign up for their emails they'll send you a 15% off promo code.

Mood

Pros: 

• Easy browsing – you can shop for the right type of fabric by picking your project type.

• For every $10 you spend, you get a free swatch to inspire your next project. (Up to 5 swatches per order.)

• Pricing on remnants can be competitive with per yard pricing at big box stores.

Cons: 

• While there is free shipping available, it only applies to orders of $150+.

• Membership program will cost ya — it's $100 to join. 

Mood fabrics are perfect for making clothes. The website is easy to shop by product or texture, and for every $10 you spend you’ll get a free swatch (up to 5 swatches per order.) While materials aren’t the cheapest, if you shop the remnants section you actually can find some materials as low as $9.99/yd. You can also get free shipping – but only if you spend $150 or more.

How to Save: Check their sale section for fabric as low as $9.99 per yard — which is up to 58.4% off in some cases. And don't forget to collect that free swatch for every $10 spent.

Amazon

Pros: 

• Large variety

• Items may be eligible for free, Prime 2-day shipping.

• Your order falls under the Amazon return policy.

Cons: 

• You may be ordering from a third-party seller, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll get Prime shipping. There's also no uniform experience when it comes to the quality of the actual product vs the listing. 

• You have to know how to search for fabric on Amazon. 

To find fabric on Amazon, you’ll have to get specific with your search terms. Instead of searching for “quilting cotton” for example, it’s a better idea to search “quilting cotton fabric by the yard.” Just replace “quilting cotton” with whatever fabric you’re looking for. The experience on Amazon varies, as it’s really going to come down to whether you’re ordering a fulfilled-by-Amazon order or an order from a third-party seller.

How to Save: When you're searching for fabric on Amazon, look to the lefthand side of your screen and scroll down the menu until you see 'Deals and Discounts.' Click on 'Today's Deals' to get a filtered view of the limited-time deals available to you in the fabric department.

TIP: Some years back, Amazon bought fabric.com and all but shut it down after it was absorbed. You can only find a few prints when you search under the ‘fabric.com’ function, so don’t even bother. It’s unfortunately a thing of the past. 

OnlineFabricStore.com

Pros: 

• Extremely competitive pricing.

• Wide selection of fabrics, including ones like cotton organdy that can be tricky to find with some other retailers.

• Easy-to-navigate website.

Cons: 

• This retailer is known for delayed or even unfulfilled orders. 

• Communication isn’t their strong suit. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get a confirmation email, and be aware that some customers have had their orders canceled without notification. 

If you’re looking for where to buy cheap fabric, OnlineFabricStore.com is up there with the best of them. They have a wide selection of fabrics, including ones that can be difficult to find other places. But buyer beware: Sometimes your order will go off without a hitch, but other times you’ll run into a terrible customer service experience where your order is delayed by months. Other times your order can even be canceled without your knowledge. Your experience could range from fabulous to a nightmare or anywhere in between — it’s pretty hit or miss.

How to Save: If you want to bring the store's prices even lower, sign up for emails to receive a one-time-use code for 10% off your first purchase. Additionally, their clearance section includes discounts up to 80% off fabrics that are being discontinued.

Fabricworm.com

Pros: 

• Plenty of promo codes available and are easy to find on the website’s homepage. 

• Robust clearance section, with prices marked down by 20% – 40%.

• Free shipping on orders of $100+, which isn’t a bad minimum spend for an online fabric store. 

Cons: 

• There is no loyalty/membership program. However, given the fees charged for competitor’s membership programs, that’s not as big of a con as you’d think. 

Fabricworm.com is an option with a lot of pros and not too many cons. We like the reasonable pricing — especially when you account for all the promo codes and sales that regularly appear on the company’s website. There’s a wide selection of fabric choices, especially for prints. Organic cotton canvas prints are a crowd favorite in particular.

How to Save: It's really all about the readily available promo codes here, which you can find at the top of their homepage. Do not check out without seeing which codes are available to bring your total down a notch more.

Etsy

Pros: 

• If you know how to shop Etsy, you can find great deals and even great discounts straight from the Etsy shop owner. 

• You can make your support local (and free of shipping charges) if you shop Etsy Local. 

• Opportunities for discontinued or vintage fabrics. 

Cons: 

• Each shop is run by an independent business owner, which means you’ll have to shop smart to find great deals and avoid bad ones. 

• In a similar vein, you’re subject to the return policies of each individual shop owner – which can range from great to nonexistent.

Shopping Etsy is an art, but Etsy is legit for fabric shopping. You can rack up some serious savings and even find fabrics that are no longer in production. However, you do have to be mindful as you browse. Each Etsy shop is owned by an independent seller with their own shipping, return, and refund policies. You’ll want to review all these in-depth before clicking the “purchase” button. 

How to Save: Click on the 'All Filters' tab in the upper lefthand corner of your screen, just above the product listings. Adjust your filters to 'Free Shipping' and 'On Sale' so you can see the items that fit both of those attributes for a killer deal.

Hobby Lobby

Pros:

• Competitive pricing – even without the Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon. 

• Wide variety of selection.

• Free shipping offers on 50+ orders available most weekends.

Cons: 

• Don’t buy when there’s not a sale – there’s no reason to pay 40% more when fabric sales are so regular. 

• Online shoppers will miss out on in-store markdowns. They’re far more common in-store as each store manager has some authority over the clearance section, which can reach up to 90% off. 

• Return shipping is always on your dime. 

The Hobby Lobby fabric section is super affordable, especially when you catch a sale. And there’s no reason to not wait for a sale, as fabric gets marked down 40% every other week. It’s generally better to shop Hobby Lobby in-person (just one of our Hobby Lobby hacks), as there’s more discounts in-person. Free shipping offers happen most weekends, but aren't nearly as predictable as the 40% off markdowns. 

Michaels

Pros: 

• Fairly competitive pricing. 

• Pricing gets better when there’s a promo code or the item’s on sale.

• Much wider selection online than you’re likely to find in-store. 

Cons: 

• When there’s not a great sale, you’re better off shopping somewhere else with lower base prices. 

• Fabric isn’t the main attraction at Michaels. They do sell it, and the online selection is far superior to what you’ll find in physical stores, but it’s not their specialty.

If you’re going to shop for fabric at Michaels, do it online and with Michaels coupons. There’s almost no selection at physical store locations, but the Michaels website does have a ton of options. The prices aren’t bad, but they aren't the best either unless there’s an active sale going on for the product you want. Luckily, Michaels does make it super simple to find these discounts. They should pop up on the product page, so you won’t have to hunt for them. 

How to Save: First of all, our Michaels savings hacks can help you save on anything at the store, including fabric. But you will want to navigate to Michaels' coupons, which range from 20 - 50% off regular price items (the regular 40% off Michaels coupon isn't so regular anymore). You can find fabric in the Michaels clearance section, as well, although it's often more overrun by trims and such.

Joann

Pros: 

• While Joann’s fabric section has been shrinking over the past decade or so, it does still provide a wide selection for a big box craft store. 

• Prices are competitive, and get extra great when you catch a sale. 

• Can pick up in-store to help you avoid shipping fees. 

Cons: 

• While you can pick up in-store, Joann did end up closing a considerable number of locations over the past couple years.

• There are some pretty fantastic Joann coupons out there, but read the fine print. A lot of times, they won’t apply to fabrics — especially if those fabrics are on sale. 

Joann is one of the best places to find affordable fabrics, especially if you’re shopping big box craft stores. Because you can pick up your online order in-store, you can dodge shipping fees if you have a location near you. Be sure to looks for deals and coupons on the Joann website, but read the fine print. Sometimes they won’t apply to your specific order. 

How to Save: Like we mention above, there's always a Joann coupon available. If it's a coupon for a single, regular-priced item, it will apply to a single cut of by-the-yard fabric. That's it. If you sign up for Joann emails, you can get 25% off the regular price items in your first purchase.

Tips For Buying Fabric Online

It’s hard to buy a product online when you’re just looking at a picture on the screen. You don’t truly know what it looks and feels like until it’s in your hands. That said, buying fabric online can be a successful endeavor if you take a few smart actions.

1. Take advantage of samples.

Before you drop hundreds of dollars on a few bolts of fabric, try to get your hands on some samples. There is usually a fee for these, but it’s a much smaller investment compared to purchasing yards upon yards. Some companies, like Mood, will send you free swatches with a minimum order. Definitely take advantage of these offers. But at most places you’ll have to spend anywhere between $1 – $20 for your sample.

2. Read reviews before you buy.

Reviews are incredibly important for online fabric purchases. If you don’t think you’ll get an unbiased review on the product page itself, you can search for reviews of the company you’re ordering from at large before spending any money with them. 

3. Understand the store’s return policy. 

If the store has a great return policy, you don’t necessarily have to worry about samples. You can just return the item for a full refund. But you can’t count on that being an easy option or even an option at all for every online retailer. Make sure you fully understand that policy before you spend any money.

4. Take note of increment limits.

Some online stores may limit the amount of a particular fabric you can order. More often, they’ll set a minimum yardage requirement for an order. Whichever side of the spectrum they’re on, be sure to understand this policy before falling in love with any specific prints. 

Finally, is it cheaper to buy fabric online or in a store?

Often, it’s cheaper to buy fabric in a store, as store managers at places like Joann or Hobby Lobby have a lot of discretion over markdowns you won’t find online. While these may be the cheapest places to purchase fabric, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll carry what you need to complete your project. With a little smart online shopping, you can get higher quality or harder-to-find fabrics at a discount — even if it’s not the “cheapest” thing on the market.