Where I Get My Crafty Supplies
A lot of crafting is supply gathering. I’m not going to lie, the shopping for supplies might just be my favourite part of crafting. Getting the perfect materials and dreaming about the possibilities is nothing short of magical. That magic? Multiply it by a thousand if you’re somewhere else. Craft supplies are the best kind of souvenir.
Sometimes it can be tough to know where to start, and what places are trustworthy, so this list encompasses craft shops that I like- as in, I’ve actually shopped there and would shop there again. It’s sorted by area, then type. I hope to keep adding to this list not just for you, but so that I can remember where I like to shop. Like in all my posts, this will use affiliate links where applicable. If you want more information, check out my Affiliate Link and Sponsorship Disclaimer.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any absolutely excellent craft shops, because well, I like to shop!
Australia
Variety
Spotlight
Kind of like if a craft store, a homeware store, and a fabric store had a baby. I haven’t been in many, but from the ones I’ve seen, they’re consistent and have a good enough selection. A good place to start a craft journey.
Fibre
Morris & Sons
There’s a few in NSW and Vic, but I’ve only been to the Melbourne one. They focus mainly on their home brand yarn- which is delightful- and appeared to have a decent selection of other types.
Tarndie Farms
These guys are in Warncoort, Victoria. They specialize in Polwarth wool- a type of sheep that’s bloodline is three-quarters Merino and one-quarter Lincoln. The wool is a dream to work with, and it’s a great day out at the farm if you’re in the area. A dog takes you on a walk. It’s fabulous.
Wagtail Yarns
I haven’t bought anything online with them- they had a big billboard as we were driving and, I mean, I am who I am. The farm isn’t the best equipped for visitors (bring cash) but it was super cute and there were lots of goats. If you’re looking for absolutely stunning mohair, this is it.
Canada
Variety
Michaels
Michaels is what it is. It’s consistent and has a good selection of beads, yarn, embroidery supplies, and other just random crafty bits. Use a coupon. Seriously.
Dressew
Did I commit to the enormous amount of work this list is just so I could geek out about Dressew? Yes. Dressew is on West Hastings in Vancouver and I miss it dearly. It’s a gong-show. On the first floor you have what’s basically a little costume hat shop and all the really cool fabrics, and well as whatever’s featured. In the basement, you have clearance, yarn, notions, millinery, beads, and just all the trims. The amount of sheer variety of stuff, as well as the rock bottom prices, make it a super treat for the senses. The fabrics can be anything from designer off-cut 100% silk to dance costume cheap and shiny. It really is a bit of a madhouse though so go early and be prepared. If you’re not into crowds, avoid it entirely in December.
Fabric
Fabricana
Beautiful fabric, excellent service. If you’re not entirely sure about a project, or if you want something super specific this is the place to go. Both locations are close-ish to Vancouver, and you’ll be getting the best expertise. It’s not the cheapest place to get fabric, but you get what you pay for and the quality is stunning. When I made my bridesmaid’s dresses I got the fabric from here- they did a special order and didn’t once make me feel like I was a pain or doing anything unreasonable.
Fabricland
Fabricland is Canada wide and it’s just your good, consistent fabric shop. I feel like they tend to lean a bit heavier on the synthetics. Their clearance section got me through my teenage years.
Fibre
Baaad Anna’s
Ah, my good old LYS. It’s in East Van, and it has an atmosphere that’s busy enough that it never seems stagnant, but still cosy and chill. There’s a good variety of yarn both from Canada and abroad, and something new and exciting always seemed to pop up. They also have an excellent selection of Knitter’s Pride/KnitPro needles and a super knowledgable staff.
Embroidery
Kiriki Press
I love these kits. The online shop carried embroidery sample kits, doll kits, embroidery supplies and PDF patterns. I’m addicted to their samplers and am finally making good progress on embroidery because of them.
France
Variety
BHV
Whenever I travel I try to pack light and always end up in Paris wishing I had brought craft stuff and stopping at BHV. They have fabrics, a cut yarn nook, and lots of fine art stuff. There’s something so gloriously indulgent about being in the middle of Paris and buying craft supplies from a place that also sells designer clothes. And I swear, only the teensiest bit of that magic comes from having champagne with lunch.
Ireland
Variety
Vibes and Scribes
A bit of a jack-of-all-trades shop in Cork City. On its top floor, there are some fine art supplies, a few bead bit, and fabric treatments- dyes, glues, etc. On the main floor, there’s fabric- mostly quilting cotton- and some millinery and notions. The basement is the yarn shop. They have a wide selection of the bigger manufacturers, as well as a small section of indie-dyed and Irish brands. This is also the only fabric and yarn shop in Cork City that I’ve found.
Hickey’s
These guys are located in most cities in Ireland. Their physical shops focus more on the home decor aspects, but even the smaller shops have a corner that’s filled with kids craft kits, some yarn, a bit of fabric.
Fabric
LoveFabric
A good selection of basics both plain and printed. I find shipping times to be really quick and I’ve never been disappointed with the fabrics. The notions and haberdashery section is generally quite bare, but when you’ve got the selection for fabric it’s perfectly fine.
Sew Irish
One of the few places I’ve been able to find affordable wool. I’ve also bought some cotton twill and everything is simply stunning. There is also an astronomically good selection of notions. One thing to note: when you buy online, they don’t send out shipping notifications. You kind of just order and things show up in a few days.
The Fabric Counter
These guys are in Dublin on the brink of Smithfield and Stoneybatter. I lived down the street from them for almost a year and I’m devastated I never got to nip in. I’ve ordered from their online shop- the fabric was great quality and it came wrapped in a cute little ribbon. Like most places in Ireland, they stock a lot of quilting cotton, however; I’ve noticed they have a pretty good selection of other dressmaking fabrics as well.
Cloth
Cloth is by St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin, and it intimidates the fejula out of me. The fabric is absolutely stunning- gorgeous silks, Irish made lace, Irish wool…. just gorgeous, sumptuous fabrics. Adam and I call it the fancy shop. I wanted the best quality of denim for his jeans, so I got it from Cloth.
Fibre
This is Knit
This is knit is bang in the middle of Dublin in the Powerscourt Townhouse. I really love this shop. There’s a good mix of Irish and International yarn at many price points. The staff is just genuinely nice, and the location is so relaxing and dreamy. If you love to knit or crochet and are in Dublin you absolutely must stop by.
United Kingdom
Variety
LoveCrafts
LoveCrafts covers knitting, crochet, sewing, and embroidery. Their selection of yarn is incredible, the shipping times are pretty good, and everything comes in cute little project bags. The customer service is also top-notch. It’s also one of those sites where something’s always on sale. If I need a sweater quantity, this is usually my first and last stop.
Fabric
Til The Sun Goes Down
I almost don’t want to tell anyone about Til the Sun Goes Down because the more people know about them, the less chance I’ll have at scooping up all the amazing fabrics. They specialize in vintage and vintage reproduction fabrics and they are just plain amazing. There’s a lot of viscose, but there’s also a good amount of silks and wools. A lot of stuff is sold by the piece as opposed to by the meter so it’s important to read descriptions. My best find here is a piece of vintage Valentino plaid.
A note on Amazon and AliExpress…
Look, all of us want to support small business and do right by each other, but sometimes… well, it’s hard. Amazon is just too darn convenient and budget is always a concern. A little tip: a lot of stuff on Amazon is dropshipped. People will buy massive amounts to keep at the Amazon warehouse and pay a percentage to use their mailing and marketplace services. If you can wait for the thing, try to find it on AliExpress because a good 70-90% of the time I’ve found it from the factory the seller got it from for less than half the price. Shipping on AliExpress can take months, but it’s great for things you’ll use a LOT of- for me that’s headband bases, hair combs, plain phone cases, rhinestones, and lower quality beads. It’s super important to exercise buyer beware and read all the reviews! My logic is if I get my headband base from AliExpress, that frees up room in my project budget to get a really beautiful fabric or embellishment from a small business… and being totally honest, that headband base would be coming from a fast-fashion retailer anyway.
