Whether you’re making a blanket for the winter season or a Halloween costume for your child, you’ll need to have the right fabric to create a quality item. It can often be challenging to find the fabric that you need that holds up well and has solid construction. It isn’t wise to get it from just anywhere, especially if the item you’re making is meant for long-term use, or you want some more niche patterns to work with than your local craft store might sell. There are a few places to consider sourcing the fabric for your projects to ensure you can become more creative and create different types of products and garments.

A Fabric Website

Like most situations where you need new and wider options than what’s immediately available at the craft store, the internet is a great place to start. One of the best places to find dozens to hundreds of different fabrics is online. Visit a fabric website, such as stores like Decorative Silk, where you can browse a large inventory of fabrics that are available in different colors, prints, and textures. You can even perform searches that allow you to filter your results depending on what you’re looking to purchase. While navigating the fabric website, you can also look for sales and promotions that are available to avoid paying full price.

A Fabric Mill

A fabric mill is also known as a fabric factory and allows you to shop for fabrics directly without the need of a middle man. You can have the freedom to speak directly to the manufacturer, which prevents miscommunication from occurring. This is a great option if you’re knowledgeable about different types of textiles and know what you’re looking to purchase. Fabric mills are extremely busy and fast-paced, which requires knowing what you’re in search of in advance to avoid losing contact with them.

While visiting the fabric mill, request counter swatches and send frequent emails until you find someone who responds to your inquiries. Remain flexible because they may not carry the fabric that you’re looking to purchase. You’ll also need to clearly label the different swatches that you’re sending to make it easier for the employee a the fabric mill to find what you need.

A Textile Trade Show

Textile trade shows are ideal for visiting when you need to find fabric for apparel. They often carry the latest trends in fabric and are ideal if you’re in the fashion industry. You can discover material mixes, new color palettes, and advanced structures.

There are plenty of places to source the fabric you need for your projects and these different sources will have more of a selection to choose from. This is a great way to ensure you can become more creative and create stunning pieces as you’re introduced to new options that will undoubtedly spark new ideas. When you have a lot of places to source the fabric, it can allow you to find what you need without having to alter the design of the project you’re planning either by much or at all.