So now that you have all your supplies, where do you get fabric? This post will go over some of my favourite places to get fabric and notions (e.g., tools, accessories, hardware) for my projects. Before I get into it, I want to preface that this info is specific to someone from Canada, living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and I factor in accessibility, selection, and price, while keeping sustainability in mind. Bottom line, where I go usually depends on what I need and how quickly I need it (procrastination gets all of us, right?).
Okay! Ready? Let’s get started.
1. Fabricland (multiple locations)
With a diverse selection of fabrics, notions, and other craft-related items, Fabricland is a top choice for me purely because of how convenient it is location-wise. I also enjoy that fabric can be purchased in 10 cm increments, allowing you to more easily purchase the amount of fabric you need without much excess.
- Accessibility: By being a chain there are just more locations around, so this is a place I go to quite often. You can shop virtually as well, however I find their inventory is extremely limited compared to what they have in-store. Also, being able to feel your fabric is HUGE when making a decision about your fabric, so if you can help it, I would recommend going to the store.
- Selection: Good all around, making it a great one-stop shop! They have seasonal options as well as options that are there all year round. Plus, there’s usually a decently sized clearance section and even a few baskets of offcuts at a discounted price if you’re shopping for a smaller project on a budget. Fabricland also carries a comprehensive selection of notions, patterns, tools, and even other craft-related items (yarn, batting, embroidery etc.) for all your project needs.
- Price: Frequent sales make Fabricland pretty affordable, and if you shop there enough, joining their Sewciety® membership program ($25.00/year) can get you discounts on the regular.
2. G.K Fashion Fabrics (North York, ON)
A shop with a great selection of high-quality apparel fabrics and a comprehensive online selection consistent with what you can find in-store. I also love how well-organized this shop is, making for an enjoyable customer shopping experience.
- Accessibility: Located near Yorkdale, this is a one location shop. Although this shop is a little out of the way for me personally, I appreciate the consistency of their selection in-store and online so that I can browse freely online before making the trip.
- Selection: Great selection for great quality apparel fabrics with a lot of pattern and colour options for a wide number of fabric types. In addition to fabrics you can also find some notions here as well, but their focus is more on fabrics versus notions. Like Fabricland, G.K Fashion Fabrics also has a section of offcuts, offering some nice options for smaller projects at a discounted price.
- Price: Fabric here is sold at wholesale prices with no minimum amount required, making the price point more than reasonable. Plus, subscribing to their newsletter can get you an extra 15% off every purchase.
3. Simplifi Fabric (Iroquois, ON)
This shop has its niche in selling organic and eco fabrics with a curated selection of notions and patterns. Sustainability is important to me because of how much waste the fashion industry creates, so I try my best to shop for fabrics composed of natural fibers versus synthetic, while purchasing as little as needed to prevent excess fabric going to waste. You’ll also notice some of the fabrics here have an organic certification as well, so you can shop high quality organic fabrics with certainty.
- Accessibility: Simplifi Fabric operates solely through their online shop, which can save you the commute, but does make it a tad more difficult for feeling out the different fabrics.
- Selection: A great curated selection of fabrics made with a variety of natural fibres, including hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo, among others. Aside from fabrics, this shop also sells numerous sewing patterns and a selection of threads, buttons, woven labels and other notions. Although the store is online-only, I love that they provide the option to purchase a sample swatch pack for a number of their fabrics, allowing you to get a sense of the fabric you might want to purchase for a small price.
- Price: By nature of selling organic and eco-fabrics, purchasing fabric here is pricier than other listed shops, but for a good reason. However this shop does have a sale section, periodic flash sales, plus a deal of the week, so stay updated and keep your eyes out for some high-quality steals.
4. Leather & Sewing Supply Depot (Toronto, ON)
My favourite place to go for notions, tools, and hardware located in downtown Toronto.
- Accessibility: Also a one-location shop, but a definite gem. You can shop online or in-store, with most of their in-store items reflected on their website. If there’s something you see on their website that you can’t find in-store, just ask an employee, they’ll likely have the item in the back if not on the floor.
- Selection: A huge selection of zippers, ribbons, trims, bias tape, hardware, cord, elastic, sewing machine parts, sewing supplies, pattern-making tools, fabric dyes, and even leather supplies. They also have a curated section of fabrics as well. Every time I go here I think I discover something new I didn’t notice the last time.
- Price: Extremely affordable prices. I believe they also sell things at a wholesale price, so going here for supplies is incredibly cost-effective compared to retail prices at other stores. I get supplies here whenever I can.
In addition to these top 4, I’d also like to mention that being from the GTA, there are a lot of fabric stores located along Queen St. downtown Toronto that I didn’t include (e.g., King Textiles, Affordable Textiles, etc.), and that’s mainly because I don’t have much experience with them. They all have an incredibly large selection of fabrics, but they’re not as convenient for me location-wise and the sheer amount of options can be a little overwhelming. But by all means, if you have the time and are in the area, I’d recommend checking them out too.
Besides the GTA, there are some other shops in and out of the province that I like to peruse and purchase from (online) that I think are worth mentioning. Because I can’t get a feel of the fabric when I shop online, some of these shops do a great job of providing additional photos/videos that show you how a fabric might fall or drape, making the search a little easier to find exactly what you want. For sake of brevity I won’t dive into any of them, but all these shops have a unique selection of fabrics and notions. If you’re curious please check them out!
5. Thread Count Fabrics (Souris, MB)
6. Blackbird Fabrics (Vancouver, BC)
7. Fabcycle (Vancouver, BC)
8. Mulberry & McNab Fine Fabrics (Moncton, NB)
Some additional thoughts on sustainable fashion. One way of reducing textile waste is to purchase deadstock material for your projects. Deadstock fabric refers to the remnants that can’t be sold or used by large manufacturers, brands and designers. Rather than it ending up in landfills, you can purchase deadstock for your own smaller projects. Alternatively, there’s also a whole culture of upcycling and purchasing textiles from thrift stores for your projects. A great route in my mind, but the process relies on some flexibility in your plan based on what’s available and taking the time to find what you want. But if you’re all about the free-flowing creativity, thrift stores or even the IKEA as-is section are good places I’ve perused for random textiles that might come in handy for your next project.
The world is really your oyster when it comes to fabric choice. You can upcycle existing textiles or find the exact fabric you want from a shop – it really depends on what you’re looking for. My best advice would be just to browse and keep an open mind, because you never know what might catch your eye 🙂
customadefunction 