MY FAVORITE FABRIC AND ZIPPER SHOPS

Aug 25

I often get asked about where I source my fabric and zippers from so I thought it might be helpful to put all the info into one post.

A disclaimer: I make no money from these links. I’ve been using these shops for years and I return over and over because of the quality of their product and great customer service.

FABRIC ::

I mostly use designer quilting cotton, canvas, cotton/linen prints, or Essex linen. I find these substrates to be readily accessible, come in variety of colors and designs, and are easy to work with.

I live in the Netherlands and I must say, the selection of fabric is quite limited here and the prices are very high. So, I order most of my fabric online. My number one fabric shop to buy from is Hawthorne Supply. They have a huge variety of fabric, their prices are fair, customer service is great, and they offer an outstanding international shipping service (I usually get my packages within a few days of putting an order in).

I like Spoonflower and Miss Matatabi online shops for more specialty fabrics. I usually find unique canvases and cotton/linen prints at these shops.

I sometimes like to work with dry oilskin, a water resistant cotton impregnated with wax. I made my Weekender Tote using black dry oilskin and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I buy all my dry oilskin from Merchant and Mills shop.

ZIPPERS ::

Over the years I’ve tried many zippers in my projects and the metal YKK donut pull zippers and #5 nylon zippers by the foot are my absolute favorites.

I’ve been buying metal zippers from Zipit on Etsy for years and they never disappoint. They offer great selection and an amazing customer service.

A more recent discovery for me are the most amazing zippers by the foot (zippers on a roll). The zipper coils on these fabulously chunky #5 zippers are made of nylon so they can be easily cut down to the exact size needed, and can be safely sewn over with your sewing machine. They come in an incredible array of colors and finishes, my favorite are the ones with striped zipper tape, so it’s easy to find just the right zipper for one’s project. I get all my zippers by the foot from either Zipper ZOO (EU based), Sullivans Trim (US based) or Zipper Valley (Canada based).

You can even use a discount codes SOTAK 10 during checkout for a 10% discount at Zipper Zoo Shop, SOTAK 15 For a 15% off discount at Sullivans Trim and SotakHandmade at Zipper Valley for a 10% discount.