Why, How, & Where To Buy Fabric Online

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Have you ever wanted to make something for your home but didn't know where to start?

There are two main reasons I like to DIY. One is cost, and the other is the ability to customize.

Plainly put I have champagne taste on a beer budget.

When you make or refinish things it gives you the ability to have custom items, and in my case, to produce exactly what I envision without having to go all over town looking for it.  Or being disappointed when it's a price I am not able (or willing) to pay for something.

So today I wanna talk fabric. The ins and outs of buying fabric online. And why you might want to consider it as an option if you are thinking that it is not an option.

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase based on my recommendation, I will get a small commission. It in no way affects your pricing or experience, but you can read my full disclosure here

Because let's be honest. The more you can buy from the comfort of home, the better. If you are anything like me.

Why you should consider purchasing fabric online?

Variety

No matter what store we're talking about, there is always greater variety online.  Which is why the internet great, Amazon, is totally winning these days. And with adding additional benefits like same day delivery on some items, it's even better than going out shopping.

Better deals

Along with variety, the online arena also can have special and exclusive deals. Even if the deal is as simple as free shipping, it gives you the option to have more to choose from without having to pay more to get it.

That's a win, right?

Convenience

Have you ever had intentions of making it to the store by the end of the day, and before you know it, the day has gotten away from you?

Leaving you to have to figure out when you can fit it in on another day of your busy schedule.

Well, no worries….

If you don't want to leave your house, then you don’t have to.  Or if you didn’t find the time, because the day got away from you? No worries there either…

And even if you want to leave the house, you can spend that time going somewhere else.

Buying fabric online allows you the convenience of being able to order what you want, whenever you have time to do it.  First thing in the morning, before the stores close.  Or right before bed, long after the stores have shut their doors.

Savings

Ordering things online can provide savings if for no other reason than you aren't just strolling through aisles and aisles of things you want, and just grabbing.

Some may argue it is easier to just pile things up in your online cart, but for me, when that happens, the remove/delete button works well.

When standing in line at the store and getting ready to check out, you are far less likely to review and rethink everything that you have put in your cart.  And in terms of fabric you have had them cut it, sooooo you're buying it.  With online shopping, you get to think about it, and make life choices like, “should i get this?” or “Do I really need that?”

How to buy fabric online?

Let’s talk about the things you should consider before you go to buy fabric online.

Width and Usable Width

Consider the width of the fabric you are buying.

Fabric is measured by the yard.  But that is for length.  It is worth noting that 1 yard is equal 3 feet. Because I am a math genius.

But really, that is the easy part.

But what you have to think about is the width of the fabric that you are purchasing.  The most common fabric widths are 36″, 45″, 54″, 60″, 72″, and 118″.

It is also worth noting that some fabrics actually have borders, which can decrease the the usable width of the fabric by 1-2 inches.  Be sure to pay attention to that when measuring and determining what you need.

Where to Buy Fabric Online?

I have recently been checking fabric out online for two projects I am excited to work on – crafting a seat cushion for my window seat and then making a matching accent rug.  Both for my bedroom.

If you wanna check out the space yourself, you can take a look at my most recent home tour and let me know what you think?

I decided that I would like to go with a Faux Fur for these projects.  And when I started searching for online fabric retailers to get a feel, Fabric.com was one of the first to come up.

Being that I trust Google, and its recommendations (most of the time), I decided to check them out.  I spent way longer on their site than I wish to admit going through the selection.

One of my concerns was how I would get a feel for the fabric.  Fabric.com offers you the ability to order swatches of the fabric to get a feel for it.

Now I will admit, this requires you to give yourself some time.  You can’t be ready to start your project tomorrow and get a feel for the fabric too.

But if you are one to plan ahead, you can experience the benefits of ordering fabric online AND getting just what you want shipped right to your home.

Some of the added benefits of using Fabric.com, quantity discounts and free shipping!

There are special discounts offered when you order more.  So as the amount you need increases, the cost per unit decrease.

How awesome is that?

And shipping is always free on orders over $49.  Without a coupon!!

In addition to that, they do offer a 30-day money back guarantee which you can check out the return policy page to read the full details on.

And if that isn’t enough, if you do have to return something, they will handle the shipping on that as well!

I don’t know about you, but I am a complete sucker for great customer service.

I'm gonna be ordering samples for my faux fur here real soon and I'm excited!

Be sure to stay tuned for those projects when I get them done.