Shopping Independent Quilt Shops Online

I’m blessed to be surrounded by great independent quilt shops but I know not everyone is as fortunate as I am. Thanks to the internet though we can shop at the same stores from the comfort of our couches. So let’s go shopping for some excellent quilt fabric. Why do I think of Wayne and Garth from Saturday Night Live whenever I write excellent?

Find out where to purchase high quality quilt fabric from the comfort of your couch.

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing items from the links costs you nothing more and adds a few pennies to the fabric budget.

Shopping Independent Quilt Shops Online
The shops listed below are either shops that I shop online or that I can shop in person at. I am releasing this list in the middle of the holiday season so please give the shops grace on shipping times. Also, these shops only have a handful of employees at most, so they aren’t able to do overnight packaging and shipping.

Why Shop at Independent Quilt Shops?
There are several reasons to shop at independent quilt shops online or in person.

First, the quality of the fabric. If you aren’t aware of the difference between local quilt store fabric and big box store fabric I’ve written an entire post about it.

Second, you won’t find the same brands at the big box stores. That big box store isn’t going to have Moda, QT, Michael Miller, or Northcott. If you happen to find one of those brands it is going to be a castoff, something they couldn’t sell to the independent quilt shop.

Third, you are supporting a small business. These aren’t nameless corporations. These shops are run by quilters just like you. Based on Civic Economics Andersonville Study of Retail Economics: When you spend $100 at an independent business, $68 returns to the local economy versus $43 when spent with a national chain. Based on U.S. Census projection of 115 million households. Here is a website where you can see the impact of $10 spent at an independent store. In the Kansas City Metro area if every family spent $10 at an independent store $64,000,000 would be added to the local economy which would allow those independent stores to add more jobs and raise wages.

Lastly, you’ll be keeping the quilt industry alive. Those fabric companies I listed above do a lot for pattern designers like myself. They give us fabric, they promote our patterns, and they sell our patterns too. The industry wouldn’t be what it is today without all of us working together like we do and we couldn’t work together like we do if quilters like you didn’t purchase the fabric and the patterns.
What Can You Buy At Independent Quilt Stores?
Everything you need to make a quilt! Some shops sell sewing machines, all shops have great fabric, they have notions, batting, and patterns. Each shop has its own feel so you won’t find the same fabric at all shops, some will have more modern prints and others will have more traditional prints. Some independent quilt shops have focused on pre-cut fabrics and others do more yardage. Most of the shops also carry gifts with a quilty theme.
Mel’s Favorite Online Quilt Shops
I’ll start will shops we have probably all heard about before and then move on to smaller shops that I use.
Fat Quarter Shop
As the name implies, Fat Quarter Shop has focused on pre-cut fabrics. They have yardage too but the vast majority of their online stock is pre-cut. They also do a lot of clubs for fabric, thread, and patterns. Clubs are fun because you get happy mail every month or so. Besides all of the normal stuff I mentioned above they also have a cross-stitch section so if you have been looking for an online supplier for cross-stitch they’ve got you covered.
Stitchin’ Heaven
Stitchin’ Heaven carries Bernia sewing machines. I’ve watched several of their Facebook videos on the machines and it does sound like they will ship the machines. They also have full array of yardage and pre-cut fabrics. They are probably best known for their block of the month programs and their quilting cruises.
Overbrook Quilt Connection
They have more modern style fabrics. They also do half packs. Half packs have five half-yard cuts of fabric and you get a free pattern with each pack. If you are looking for panels, they probably have them. There are a ton of panels. I also might have purchased most of their gift section. Who doesn’t need Moda socks?
Beehive Quilt Shop
What I love the most about Beehive Quilt Shop is they have their fabric categorized by collection. If you see something online where the person says, “This is made with Country Roads” you can find the fabric line by name on their website.
The Shiplap Quilt Shop
They had me at coffee and fabric. As far as I’m concerned that’s all I need to survive in life. lol I’ve found fabric there that I can’t get anywhere else, like the Mr. Rogers line. They have a great sales section too where you can build a stash on a budget.

FAQs About Shopping Online
Why would I buy online?

Not everyone has access to local quilt shops and not all local shops carry every bolt of fabric out there. Shopping online is convenient too, I can order fabric at midnight if I need to.

How do I store all this fabric?

So you bought a bunch of fabric and now you don’t know what to do with it. I get it! I’ve done it. You can checkout our times on how to store fabric.

What can I make with the quilting fabric?

Checkout our free quilt patterns and our paid quilt patterns.

How long will it take to get my fabric from an online quilt shop?
Give them a little time, the first two shops are big and have a good size staff to deal with online orders. The other shops are smaller shops and it may only be the shop owner and one employee doing the orders. They aren’t big box stores remember?

Come learn where to buy high quality quilt fabrics and support small business owners from the comfort of your own home.