This list is in no way exhaustive, simply stores we’ve dealt with in the past, have friends who have done business with them and had a positive experience, or sites we find interesting.
Remember caveat emptor with any online merchant.
(Links updated March 2017)
Sources of Fabrics and Trims to Turn Into Fabulous Historical Clothing!
B.Black & Sons – high quality wools, shirtings, sewing supplies
B.R. Exports – Pure Silks – silk galore, cotton organdy, ships from India
Baltazor Fabric Boutique – specializing in bridal fabrics & laces
Burnley & Trowbridge – natural fiber fabrics perfect for historical sewing
Cotton Lace – Dutch company with oh, so pretty laces. Click on ‘Customer Service’ and they will send a price list.
Cheep Trims – so much, where to begin?…
Cluny Lace Co – British lace makers working on antique looms to create vintage laces
Dharma Trading Co. – white & natural silks and cottons; THE source for fabric dyes
Dutch Quilts – cotton chintz with 17th & 18th C. patterns, in the Netherlands
Ensembles of the Past – a variety of natural fiber fabrics, notions including 19th Century buckles, some trims. Tell Sara you found her from Historical Sewing!
Fabric Guru.com – with 15,000 fabrics you might find something here
Fabric.com – all kinds of printed cottons and more
Fabrics-Store.com – terrific linen fabrics
Farmhouse Fabrics – look for cotton trims, voiles and other sheers, some silks, organdy
G Street Fabrics, Online Store
Gala Fabrics – in Victoria, BC, Canada; cotton organdy, voile, batiste, poplin, crinoline and buckram
Haberman Fabrics – recommended by Lynn A.
Historical Fabric Store – a variety of natural fiber cloths, Sweden
Hart’s Fabric – wonderful cotton lawns
Imported Laces and More – perfect for heirloom and Victorian projects
JoAnn Fabrics – big box chain store
Joyce Trimming – 30,000 items of trims
JRB Silks – large selection but watch for home dec weight silks
Kochan and Phillips – reproduction historical textiles (wools)
Lace Beauty – Etsy store with laces, appliques
Lace Heaven – lace, notions, buttons, ribbons, fringe
Lace Place – all kinds of lace especially eyelets (be aware there is lots of nylon here)
Lacis – specialty fabrics, embroidery & other supplies, cotton & silk netting
M & J Trimming – you’ll find something here you can’t live without
Maggie May’s Historic Clothing – 100% cotton reproduction prints (Susan is part of our Historical Costuming Community here!)
Martha Pullen Store – high-end, all natural fabrics, trims and laces
Mary Not Martha – on Etsy, all sorts of trims, laces, millinery flowers, some fabrics
Mood Fabrics – shopping home of Project Runway in New York
Online Fabric Store – general store, inexpensive, organdy
Organic Cotton Plus – natural and organic cottons, cotton fiber for stuffing, notions
Originals by Kay – specializing in Civil War era fabrics and ready-mades
Payless Fabrics – carries hard-to-find polished cotton, moire and faille
Prism Silks (was Golden Silks) – carries all kinds of silks: brocade, chiffon, raw silks, charmeuse, dupioni, crepe, habotai, organza, velvet, taffeta, jacquard, satin, and more
Pure Silks (aka Exclusive Silks) – wide variety of silks & other apparel fabrics; stiff and soft organdy
Renaissance Fabrics – Tell Diana you found her from HistoricalSewing.com; wide variety of natural fiber fabrics
Reproduction Fabrics – gorgeous and period correct cottons from the late 18th C. to modern quilting patterns
The Ribbon Store – fantastic ribbons AND she’ll send swatches
Sandy’s Lace and Victorian Trims – lovely but need a wholesale account
Sartor – incredible silk fabrics with a historical section, in Czech Republic
Silk Baron – beautiful colors specializing in all sorts of silk textiles
Source It Right – India online shop with large fabric selection of all sorts including unique Indian textiles
Spoonflower – design your own fabric – What can you imagine??
Summer Sun Stories – BEAUTIFUL historically reproduced cotton and silk textiles
Thai Silks – over 1400 kinds of imported silks
Tinsel Trading – vintage millinery trims & so much more
Trim Place – a variety of trims
The Tulle Factory – in Germany with lots of tulle options including ones in cotton and silk
Through the Ages Fabric – fabrics, notions, leather, yarn supplies for reenactors
Vintage & Vogue – high quality quilting cottons
Vintage Button Emporium – online shop for vintage & antique buttons
Vintage Trims – lots of trims usually sold in gross rolls
Vogue Fabrics – large fabric store online; corset hardware supplier recommended by Farthingales in Canada
Whittle’s Fabrics – tons of cotton fabrics, many good for mid-19th Century garments
Wooded Hamlet/Needle & Thread – one source for organdy and great natural trims
Do You Have a Favorite Fabric Store Website That You’d Love to Share?
Send us a message using the contact form below and we’ll check it out. If it passes our “top-secret test,” we’ll be happy to post it here for the world to see. Remember to send us your personal review as well as the site address/URL so we know exactly where to look.
Silk Baron is simply a delight – I’ve made several purchases from them and I’ve always been ecstatic when I receive my order. Beautiful colors, (very) reasonably priced, great customer service. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
They really know their silks! I met them a few years ago at Costume College, and they are very good with their customers.
I have ordered from Cotton Lace, and was very pleased with the product. I was a little wary at first because their prices are almost *too* good. But they shipped out promptly, and I feel I got more than my money’s worth. I got 2-4 yard increments of several narrow edging and insertions, and 14 yards of a 1” insertion(frilly Victorian petticoats use up a ton of lace!), and they are so pretty! I will note that the insertions don’t seem to have threads in the sides for shaping, the way other cotton Valenciennes I have used did. But on the other hand, at Cotton Lace I paid like 1/3 to 1/6 of the price I would pay elsewhere. And free airmail shipping!
Thanks for the feedback!
Whatever you do, don’t use JRB Silks! I’ve experienced lost orders with them, as well as late orders (as in, too late to use, and in paid client situations, no less!). In addition, their samples don’t match the fabric ordered and sample cards don’t include updated fabric availability or even include all the fabrics that you’ve supposedly paid $20 per fabric card to be able to see! But the kicker is their absolutely dismal customer service, namely, their refusal to take responsibility for their errors, and their complete unwillingness to make things right.
On the other side of the spectrum, I’m in complete agreement with Leanna above… order from marynotmartha at Etsy whenever you can. I’ve ordered from this shop (Suzi Oberman, owner) for several years now and the one and only (minor) issue I had with an order, she personally fixed in a flash!
Thanks for the feedback!
HELP PLEASE! I am attempting to have a historically correct WWI Red Cross/Army Nurse Corps uniform made . The overseas dress was “grey cotton crepe” I know what this is but cannot find it on any web site or store Thanks
Not sure I can help much. Could you substitute a wool crepe? Or cotton poplin? You might try asking Lauren over at Wearing History as she does loads of fabric research for 20th C.
wood-n-woven.com all hand woven fabrics, some are from hand spun yarn.
96storehouse.com small selection but all of it high quality.
and my favorite trim supplier: etsy.com/shop/marynotmartha
I also have a local Hospice shop that is constantly stocked with amazing remnant fabrics, I have even scored some silk velvet and tai silks! But of course that one is a local hit and miss. Never know where you will make your next big score!