Stylists’ Secrets: The Best Online Sources to Buy Beautiful Fabric (Hint: One is IKEA!)
If you’re a DIY, Netflix-and-stitch type of person, then you already know the simultaneous joy and fear inspired by walking into a gigantic fabric store. Thanks to infinite scroll, low-res images, and inaccurate on-screen colors, the perils of shopping for textiles online are even greater. To help ease the frustration and find you the perfect fabric, we’ve rounded up six of our favorite online sources. These sites are easy to search—and the stunning textiles don’t disappoint.
Brooklyn-based artist and designer Rebecca Atwood’s sophisticated-yet-whimsical textiles are the kind of superior-quality fabrics we’d use to decorate our dream homes. The design process behind these one-of-a-kind textiles includes hand-painting prints, hand-dyeing, screen printing, and digital printing.
Price: Luxury, from about $145 a yard
Known for its iconic patterned clothing and home accessories, Finnish design house Marimekko also sells its punchy fabric by the yard. Whether you choose their classic floral designs or one of their latest patterns, Marimekko fabric is guaranteed to result in room-transforming pillows, curtains, or tea towels.
Price: From $35 a yard
It’s no secret that IKEA is our go-to one-stop shop for, well, just about everything from picture frames to Swedish meatballs. But did you know that they also sell an impressive collection of fabric? You’ll find colorful illustrated prints, like the leaf design, above, as well as understated black-and-white designs in the new SVARTAN collection.
Price: From $2 (seriously!) a yard
One of our favorite brick-and-mortar fabric and yarn shops, Purl Soho is within walking distance of Apartment Therapy’s NYC headquarters. Luckily, they also sell a huge selection of fabric in their online shop, including this absolutely stunning metallic linen and the liberty prints above. If you’re not sure what to make with these gorgeous materials, find free patterns and tutorials on their project gallery. For my next project, I’m planning to sew this adorable skirt.
Price: Varies, available by the yard, in bundles, etc.
Scrolling through the seemingly endless offerings on Mood Fabric’s online store is almost as overwhelming as searching the vast selection in-person at this NYC fabric district mainstay. The plus side to this huge assortment is that they undoubtably have what you’re looking for—or at least something close enough. The last time I visited Mood, I was hunting for an obscure “abstract floral watercolor” style in blue and gray tones. Thirty minutes later, I was out the door with a yard of spot-on fabric. Whether you have a specific style in mind or just love browsing through row after row of patterns, you’re bound to find something you just can’t pass up.
Price: Varies by fabric
If you’ve ever dreamed of creating your own textiles (either for aspirational purposes or out of frustration of not finding what you want), then Spoonflower is the answer to your DIY prayers. The site lets you upload your own digital designs and will print them on fabric for you, or you can browse pre-existing patterns by other artists. Careful: You can easily spend hours scrolling through all the options, so to save time, visit the site’s beautifully curated collections, such as the bright summer styles, above, and these adorable cactus designs.
Prices: From $17.50 per yard