The world got darker for crafting enthusiasts this past February when Joann announced it would be shutting down its operations and closing all its stores. As a fervent Joann fan, I was crushed — where else would I buy my fabric? My batting? My Coats & Clark thread? But on Thursday, June 5, Michaels made a historic announcement — it had acquired Joann.
What does this mean?
In a nutshell, Michaels — which hadn’t previously had an impressive fabric or sewing collection — is going head-first into the fabric business, increasing its in-person and online inventories to match demand. Searches for “fabric” have increased by 77% this year alone, according to the brand’s press release.
If, like me, you tried going to Joann’s website anytime after the brand announced it would be closing, you’d be treated to a sad, empty site with no inventory, instructing its former customers to try in-person stores to see if they had any wares left. Now, however, if you go to Joann’s website, you’re re-directed to Michael’s, with a full landing page of fabric, yarn, and sewing machines.
As part of the acquisition, Michaels is committing to expand its in-person fabric offerings, as well as keep Joann’s in-house brands (like Big Twist) alive.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels,” said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer at Michaels.
Here’s everything we know about the acquisition so far.
Michaels will expand its fabric selection
The most exciting news to come from this acquisition is that Michaels will be adding more fabric to its in-person stores. The brand has always sold fabric, but its selection has been lacking. At my local store, there’s one aisle in the back of the store with about 20 different fat quarters. Moving forward, however, the brand plans on increasing its fabric supplies.
“Michaels has responded by making a significant investment in the category, increasing the assortment in over 680 stores, with plans for 280 more stores this year,” the press release reads.
Over the next few weeks, you can expect select Michaels stores to start displaying more fabric. Its online selection has expanded, too. The brand says it carries over 10,000 options, and through my own quick perusal, they’re not lying.
One area where Joann really shined was with its wide variety of fabric materials and patterns available. Michaels is definitely making an effort to match that — the licensed fabric on its site has improved, as as its batting and thread offerings. I ordered all three from the brand this weekend after finding exactly what I needed (and using a 30% off code).
Michaels hasn’t yet announced which stores will start selling fabric.
Michaels will start selling Brother, Singer sewing machines
Michaels has always sold sewing machines, but now that it’s acquired the Joann brand, its selection has drastically expanded. Brother, Singer, and Janome are among the best names in the sewing world — and now, you can shop them at Michaels.
Sewing machine parts, bobbins, accessories, patterns — they’re all now for sale at Michaels, too. At least, they’re all available online. Since the acquisition news only broke last week, we expect it will take a few weeks before you start to see full inventories available in person.
Michaels will add more yarn
In addition to selling Joann’s Big Twist yarn, Michaels will expand its Loops & Threads line, both online and in-person. It will also sell larger collections from Red Hart, Bernat, and Lion Brand. The brand notes that they expect the expanded yarn offerings will be available online and in-store later this year.
The best places to buy fabric online
Excited about this acquisition? Me too. My local Michaels is about five minutes from my house, so I’m over the moon at the thought that fabric may be coming soon. Until then, however, I have to shop for my favorite fabrics online. If you need to shop online while you wait for inventory to appear, these are my favorite stores.
Spoonflower
Spoonflower
Spoonflower is one of the best places to shop for fun fabric designs, especially if you need different fabric types (like fabric for quilting vs clothing vs upholstery). Shipping is always fast and accurate, while the designs themselves are always stunning.
Spoonflower features designs from independent artists and small businesses, so it’s also a great place to shop if you want to support local artisans. The quality of the designs I’ve received from different shops has always been stellar, so you can tell Spoonflower chooses its designers with care.
The biggest downside is that the price can add up quickly — a yard of quilting fabric is generally $20, which is pretty expensive. I’d recommend this one for special quilts or fabrics you want to add for a little flair.
Also, since it’s uses independent artists, you won’t find licensed designs like Joann carried. There are gorgeous artist interpretations from big name characters like Barbie and Mickey Mouse, but nothing licensed.
$20 / yard at Spoonflower
Hawthorne Supply Co
Hawthorne Supply Co
Hawthorne operates similarly to Spoonflower in that it allows artists and small businesses to display and sell their designs. You won’t find Star Wars or Disney fabric, but you will find gorgeous designs in all colors and realms.
Hawthorne does a great job of bucketing fabrics together so you can see a whole collection of complementary fabrics. This is great for quilt designing, as you can see an entire suite of designs that go together without scrolling around endlessly.
Hawthorne prices can add up, as each design is crafted by artists. You won’t get those cheap Joann prices, but you will get stunning fabric. I’ve always been pleased with my Hawthorne pieces, even when prices have made me wince.
$13.70 / yard at Hawthorne Supply Co
Keepsake Quilting
Keepsake Quilting
Keepsake Quilting comes recommended by our AOL readers. It carries fabric, notions, patterns, pre-cuts, and even clubs that send you new fabrics every month. It seems to have just about everything a quilter could dream of.
$7 / yard at Keepsake Quilting
Granny B’s
Granny B’s Quilt Shop
Granny B’s is my favorite place to shop for fabric in-person, but they have an online store that you can shop if you’re not local to Nashville. Granny B’s is a small, family-owned business operated by some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Its fabrics are gorgeous, and its precuts are some of the best I’ve purchased.
The store sells all manners of top-rated brands: Ruby Star, Art Gallery Fabrics, Free Spirit, Moda, etc. It also sells a wide range of patterns and accessories for nearly all machines.
If you’re local, you can sign up for classes or retreats.
$11 / yard at Granny B’s
Missouri Star Quilt Co
Missouri Star Quilt Co
Missouri Star Quilt Co sells incredible patterns that I love to shop, but one of our AOL readers pointed out that the brand also sells fabric! You can shop precut fabrics, fabric by the yard, and sewing accessories at surprisingly reasonable prices. This is a great choice for solids and patterns, and honestly, going to be my go-to for online fabric solids moving forward.
$8 / yard at Missouri Star Quilt Co
Hancock’s of Paducah
Hancock’s of Paducah
Hancock’s of Paducah is a great place to find fabric online, according to our AOL readers. They run frequent sales — $4.99 a yard! — and highlight different collections and pre-cuts sure to please. I recognize several fabric designers on the site already — and kind of want this Gustav Klimt fan art panel.
$5 / yard at Hancock’s of Paducah
Stash Fabrics
Stash Fabrics
Stash Fabrics is another one of my favorite sites for fun and whimsical designs. The prices aren’t awful — about $13 per yard — and there’s a wide selection of designs, fabric types, and cuts.
The site carries all kinds of designs, from those designed by independent artists to those curated by small businesses. You can also sign up for different clubs, like a fabric-of-the-month club that ships you pre-selected fabric every month.
$13.40 / yard at Stash Fabrics
Anna Maria
Anna Maria
Anna Maria is a pattern designer who used to operate a small fabric store in Nashville called Craft South. The store moved entirely online but retained its high quality service and designs. I’ve shopped this store online and in person and always had the best experience.
Anna’s designs are bold and colorful, so it’s a great place to shop if you love designs that make a statement. They also collect similar fabrics into bundles, which are absolutely stunning.
When it comes to designs, Anna has some of the best you can find. They’re gorgeous, they’re high-quality, and they’re not too expensive compared to other fabric retailers.
$13 / yard at Anna Maria
Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby
Our AOL readers recommend checking out Hobby Lobby, which sells a wide range of fabrics both online and in person. Its online selection isn’t the easiest to navigate, but you can sift through patterns, precuts, and fabric types to find the best one for your needs. If you’ve got one close to your home, you can visit in person and get a feel for each fabric yourself.
$6 / yard at Hobby Lobby
Rifle Paper Co.
Rifle Paper Co.
Rifle Paper Co. carries some of the best fabric designs on the web. They’re colorful and stunning, all designed by the Rifle team. The selection isn’t huge — in fact, it’s quite small, but what they do carry is downright gorgeous.
Though you won’t find a lot of designs on the site, Rifle designs are available at other retailers, like Stash Fabrics and Hawthorne Supply Co.
$12.50 / yard at Rifle Paper Co.
Fabric Guru
Fabric Guru
Fabric Guru has a range of fabric types, from upholstery fabric to outdoor fabric, perfect for sewists of all types. Our AOL readers love this shop and we can see why — there’s a wide range of patterns and frequent sales, something I really loved at Joann and will miss quite a bit.
$10 / yard at Fabric Guru
Fabric Wholesale Direct
Fabric Wholesale Direct
Fabric Wholesale Direct carries fabric in an impressive array of types, from canvas to chenille to chiffon. There are some styles I’m not even sure I can pronounce (Crepe de chine? Dupioni?). The brand says it specialized is discounted wholesale fabric, and the more yards you purchase, the higher the discount you can unlock.
$3 / yard at Fabric Wholesale Direct
Etsy
Etsy
Etsy can be a really great place to shop for fabric — if you find the right seller. It will be hit or miss, but I’ve found some really incredible pieces from Etsy (including a stained-glass fabric featuring 20 chickens). I’d recommend Etsy if you’re shopping for a very specific design or fat quarter bundles, but it’s not the place I’d shop for full yards or an entire quilt’s worth of fabric.
Varies at Etsy
EQuilter
EQuilter
EQuilter is a bright store with an expansive range of fabrics, including solids, bold designs, and panels. It’s not somewhere I’ve personally shopped from, but one of our AOL readers recommended it in the comments. You can also find pre-cuts, thread, and sewing notions from this store, as well.
$13 / yard at EQuilter
Walmart
Walmart
Walmart is a great alternative to Joann if you like going in person to shop for fabric, but that’s only if your local Walmart has a fabric shop. The online site varies in quality, I’ve found. You can get cheaper fabrics and standard designs, but nothing that really stands out among the other incredible shops you can find online.
The website is also harder to navigate than other sites we’ve seen. If you shop Walmart fabric, it’s probably better done in person.
$5 / yard at Walmart
Amazon
Amazon
What was once fabric.com is now just Amazon. The mega-merchant sells pre-cut fabric and fabric-by-the-yard, but the quality varies, I’ve found. I wouldn’t describe any fabric I’ve received on Amazon as high-quality, but if you just need a few patches to finish a quilt (or you need a fast and cheap backing), it’ll do just fine.
Varies at Amazon
If you have any questions about fabric — or you just wanna chat about your favorite products you think we should check out — send us an email at shopping.editors@aol.com and we’ll write you back!
