In my day job, I write about products, which means I’ve had the opportunity to get hands-on with all kinds of goods and websites. It also means that everything I buy personally gets judged through a professional lens, so I’m not just buying pretty patterns and moving on — I’m buying pretty patterns, then evaluating the feel of the fabric, the quality of the design, the dents in the packaging, and the speed of delivery.

During my time at AOL, I was able to write about my five favorite places to buy fabric online, but for this piece, I’m going to dive a little deeper into each of the stores I’ve tried and whether or not I recommend going back to them. I’ve been quilting for the past 7 years, so this is based off 7 years of shopping (and professional product testing).

Here are all the places I’ve personally shopped fabric and quilting wares from, as well as what I recommend to my fellow crafters.

Fat Quarter Shop

• Great for: Pre-cuts, bundles
• Not-so-great for: By-the-yard cuts

Fat Quarter Shop is the first place I ever bought fabric online, and 7 years later, it remains one of my favorite places. You can shop fabric by the yard, but the brand’s pre-cut bundles are where it really shines.

Each bundle comes with a collection of similar and complementary fabrics, so you can use them all together or spread them throughout your collection. It’s a really great place to shop if you’ve got a specific project in mind or really just want to build out your fat quarter collection.

Fat Quarter Shop also offers unique subscriptions, where you can sign up for fat quarters every month, a block-of-the-month club, and many more.

I haven’t tried out any of the brand’s subscriptions, but I’ve shopped from them many, many times. In my experience, shipments usually take 1-2 weeks via USPS and arrive bundled well in plastic shipping bags.

Michaels

• Great for: Solid colors, cheap cuts, threads
• Not-so-great for: Unique patterns

I have never really had a good experience shopping fabric in-store at Michaels, but the online shop has significantly improved since the brand acquired Joann in 2025.

Michaels is where I buy all my batting, thread, and solid colors. It’s one of the more affordable brands, especially since they adopted Joann’s approach to couponing and discounts.

I’ve never been blown away by the fabric designs at Michaels, honestly. They carry licensed fabric — rare, considering most other places don’t — but aside from those, the patterns are pretty generic and non-inspiring.

But you can’t beat the cost at Michaels, especially when you buy in bulk and take advantage of the coupons. Plus, it’s the best place to buy quilting notions from high-quality names.

Hawthorne Fabrics

• Great for: Great patterns, high quality cuts
• Not-so-great for: Affordable fabric

Hawthorne is my top favorite place to shop for fabric, but it’s not somewhere I can shop often. It’s expensive, so a small amount of fabric can quickly add up. But if you want the best patterns and bundles on the web, Hawthorne’s the place to shop.

It’s a more unique website, in that fabrics are mostly pre-bundled, but you can shop individually from different collections. The search isn’t the most intuitive I’ve found, but it’s not terrible. Plan to spend a lot of time scrolling through collections before you find what you need.

I’ve never been disappointed by a fabric purchase from Hawthorne. The fabric is always high quality and vibrant, and while it’s expensive, it’s perfect for those projects that deserve a little extra love.

Spoonflower

• Great for: Fun patterns, variety of fabrics
• Not-so-great for: Solid cuts

Spoonflower is so much fun. It sells some of the most unique patterns you’ll find on the internet, but that whimsy comes with a cost — the inventory is constantly shifting, so if you want to re-purchase a fabric you got years ago, you may be out of luck.

You can shop fabric of all types on Spoonflower, whether it’s for quilting or upholstering furniture. It’s very cool, especially if you want a cohesive design in your home, like couch pillows that match your living room quilt.

You won’t find licensed fabric at Spoonflower, but you will find unlicensed fabric there. Meaning you’ll be able to find plenty of “Golden Girls” or “Friends”-themed designs, but they’ll likely get taken down quickly, as they’re not paying the proper royalties to be selling licensed fabrics. You can find some really cute pop culture cuts here, but they tend to disappear rather quickly.

Spoonflower sells designs from independent artists, making it fun to browse and discover new people. That also means the quality can vary between designs.

Etsy

• Great for: Specific fabrics
• Not-so-great for: Consistent quality

I have shopped Etsy quite a few times, but never for everything I need for a specific project. Rather, Etsy has great vintage finds and unique one-off patterns that can supplement a quilt, but it’s not the place I’d rely on for an entire one.

Since Etsy isn’t a fabric marketplace, you’re shopping from individuals, whether that’s someone selling their aunt’s fabric or a small business owner who sells fabric from their garage. It’s not all a crapshoot, but it’s not the most consistent.

When I want something really specific — like a vintage ’90s princess pattern or a Disney parks pattern — I’ll order from Etsy. Otherwise, I’d avoid buying any by-the-yard cuts from here.

Amazon

• Great for: Quilting notions
• Not-so-great for: High-quality fabric

Amazon has its strengths, but in my opinion, fabric isn’t one of them. It’s a great place to shop for quilting notions and accessories, like rulers, tape, rotary cutters, iron, and interfacing. But I wouldn’t shop batting or thread there (I have in the past and regretted it both times).

As far as fabric is concerned, I’ve found Amazon’s quality to be extremely poor. Fabric tends to be paper-thin with repetitive patterns. They tend to come pre-cut, so if you need 100 pieces of floral pre-cut 10-inch squares, it’s a good place to shop. Otherwise, skip Amazon when it comes to fabric.

In Amazon’s defense though, I do buy a lot of sheets that I end up using as backing fabric. You can score wicked cheap sheets that are perfect for backing (but not piecing).

Fabric Wholesale Direct

• Great for: Solid fabrics
• Not-so-great for: Unique patterns

Fabric Wholesale Direct is a unique shop. It’s hard to navigate, but it sells all kinds of fabric types and offers a huge range of solid colors. It ships quick and sells for dirt cheap, thanks to the fact that it’s a wholesale retailer.

I’ve ordered from them a few times and been happy every time. The designs aren’t cute; they tend to be general florals or basic cartoons, but when it comes to shopping solids or backing fabrics, this is the place.

Know a place I missed? Let me know and I’ll check them out!