Links and recommendations for all the best online suppliers for specialty fabrics, interfacing and stabilisers and purse hardware. Track down all the best purse and handbag making supplies at the very best prices too.

Depending on where you live, it seems that buying the best modern fabrics, correct interfacings, and the nicest bag hardware can be easy or difficult.  It can be frustrating when you have a pattern you want to sew this week and don’t have the supplies.  That’s why we all keep a healthy stash of fabrics and bag-making supplies on hand – for when the urge takes us.  If your other half disagrees, you send them to us and we’ll back you up!

Here are some of our favorite online suppliers.  At the moment this is mainly a US list, but we’ll look to add more international resources soon.  Many of these do ship internationally so if you are looking for something particular it might be worthwhile.

NEW – Amazon have given us our own exclusive sewing store page!

We can now easily share with you our favorite sewing supplies all in one easy to find and easy to shop store on the Amazon website. You’ll find everything there from our recommended sewing machines, to thread, fabrics, sewing notions and tools, and even a page of recommendations for beginners.

Visit the Sew Modern Bags Amazon store here

Fabric Suppliers – coming up next

Interfacing and Stabilisers

Hardware

Classes

Fabric – the face of the bag

JOANN Fabric & Craft Stores – love ’em or hate ’em you can’t deny JoAnn’s has modern and stylish fabrics at good prices.  Order online if you don’t have one nearby and remember to use your coupons!  Find the latest coupon codes and discounts HERE.

Fat Quarter Shop – primarily aimed at quilters but a huge range of fabrics, kits, and co-ordinated bundles to choose from. If you like to buy (and stash) pre-cuts then this is the place to get them, but of course, you can also buy your yardage here. Watch out for their daily flash sale deals at huge discounts. Find all the latest fabric releases showcased here. Or Precut of the week bargain here for those of you that like you Fat Quarters, Charm Packs etc.

Spoonflower – fancy yourself as a fabric designer? You can get your design printed on one of a dozen different types of fabric, or order from their huge library of modern print. They have a popular Etsy store here with all of the best designs.

Granny Sassy Designs  – a large range of fabric at really good prices, including lots of batiks and blenders. If you are a quilter, you’ll go crazy for the quilt kits and Judy Niemeyer designs. Excellent customer service.

Loralie Designs – one you might not have heard of, but certainly shouldn’t miss.  If you love novelty fabrics you are in the right place with this amazing range designed by Loralie.  Has specialty fabrics that are hard to find elsewhere such as nurses, women who play golf, gypsies, chefs, cats and dogs, and several sewing-related fabrics.  Check out the fabric panels too. Ideal for making tote bags. Ships worldwide.

KnitFabrics.com – the place to go for stretch and knit fabrics. Selling sweatshirt fleece, minky, cotton lycra, stretch velvet, stretch denim, jersey knits, and super soft knit fabrics for sewing clothing. Large range of printed knits and perfect for sewing kids clothing. Rewards scheme and flat rate shipping.

Annie’s Catalogue – we love the ease of use on this site.  Nice fabrics in easy to find and sort sections so you can find just what you need.  That’s not all with Annie’s, they also have some popular classes, kits, tools and notions, personalized woven labels, a huge range of patterns, and they publish several popular craft magazines and books too.

Connecting Threads – an online quilt shop with their own range of fabrics and threads. The company sells its own exclusive, cotton fabrics starting at just $4.96/yd for solids and ranging up to $11.96/yd for laminates and wide backings. Connecting Threads are able to offer their products at affordable prices because they’ve cut out the middle man. Nice site, good service. Check out their clearance page here for more bargains.

Online Fabric Store – one of our favorites when we’re looking for something just that little bit special or usual.  Yes, they have a range of designer quilting cottons, but also leather, vinyl, mesh, burlap, canvas, felt, upholstery and drapery fabrics, oilcloth, neoprene, sequins, faux fur, and lots more.  If you want to create a ‘designer style’ bag then you’ll get the fabrics you need for it here.

Sulky – with an exceptional range of threads, stabilizers, and embroidery supplies, you really will find it all at Sulky. Mouthwatering thread sets and an enormous range of colors and types of thread. They also publish some interesting free patterns and projects, especially for machine embroidery.

The Confident Stitch – you might not have heard of this site before but you should definitely take a look. A smaller independent retailer filled with high-quality fabrics and supplies home sewers and hand-makers are looking for. They carry: Quilting Cotton, Canvas, Linen, Voile, Rayon, Wool, Sewing Tools, Thread, Notions, and a wide range of independent designer Patterns.  All located in a sales-tax-free state!

Fashion Fabrics Club – We are not kidding, this site has a HUGE range of fabrics. More than 20,000 different fabrics you can choose from. Not only is there exceptional value, but you can also buy your favorite fabrics in bulk, and buy the whole bolt! Ideal for sewing large orders of matching bags, or for Etsy sellers who make repeatable items, etc.

UK – MyFabrics.co.uk – offers a large variety of high-quality fabrics with over 30,000 articles in the categories fabric, wool, sewing, and arts and crafts supplies. On MyFabrics creative minds can find anything for sewing, knitting, and DIY. Supplier of printed paper sewing patterns for bags in the UK, if you prefer not to download.

UK – Terrys Fabrics – a UK favorite with a huge range of fabrics and sewing supplies, especially for the home decor sewing market. Competitive pricing with a price match guarantee.

ETSY– last but not least on our list is Etsy.  Now Etsy is a marketplace of individual sellers rather than a single store, so it’s hard to link to all of our favorites because there are so many! If you want to support small business, often stay at home moms making some extra with their part-time sales on the side, then consider buying your fabric from an Etsy seller.  Etsy is also awesome for bag making hardware and some of our favorites are listed in that section below.

Check out our favorite sellers on Etsy saved here

Interfacing and stabilizers – the heart of the bag

Without the right foundations by way of interfacing and stabilizers, your high-end purse you spent all week sewing, well, let’s say it could literally be a flop.  So what’s inside and invisible makes all the difference to your end result. Here are some of the common interfacings you might want to use, as well as the direct links to some of the online suppliers so you can quickly click through and check prices and see who has the best offers this week.

ShapeFlex 101 – Amazon / Etsy / JoAnn Fabrics

Fusible Fleece – Amazon / Etsy / Online Fabric Store / JoAnn Fabrics / Thermoweb

Decovil – JoAnn Fabrics / Amazon / ETSY / Walmart /

Decor Bond 808/809 – Amazon / OFS / JoAnn Fabrics

Peltex – Amazon / Etsy / JoAnn Fabrics

Flex Foam (Pellon) –  Amazon / JoAnn Fabrics

Headliner  – Amazon / Online Fabric Store / JoAnn Fabrics

All interfacings – Online Fabric Store / JoAnn Fabrics

You can also find a huge range of interfacings, adhesives, stabilizers, and more at the Thermoweb site. We love their iron-on vinyl product.

Hardware – the bling on the bag

Hardware for bag making can be tricky to find and we’ve found the best prices and availability is definitely from these online suppliers.  Still, if you only want two rectangle rings and a buckle, prices can be high.  Buy purse hardware in bulk however and the prices drop enormously – a pack of 20 can be cheaper than buying 4!  So check out our favorite hardware and notions suppliers here.

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ETSY – we love Etsy for our hardware supplies and you can get such great prices if you buy in bulk.  Don’t be afraid to order from overseas suppliers too for even better pricing although it may take longer for your supplies to arrive.

Here are some of our favorites.  They’ll each do different items, and specialize in different areas of supplies and hardware so take your time to browse around and compare prices.

Amazon – another great supplier for purse hardware and supplies.  We don’t have a particular supplier here we recommend, any will be approved to work within Amazon.  Do take care of where the products are being supplied from.  We always prefer to look for those products that are fulfilled by Amazon.  Here’s a link to the Purse Hardware search results page on Amazon USA.

Strapworks – an enormous range of hardware, webbing, and more for bags and projects of all kinds. Their range is SO wide it may take you a while to look around everything and you’re sure to be inspired to make things you hadn’t thought of before when you see products you don’t usually see in other purse hardware supplies. If you don’t find anything for your bag sewing, you’ll probably find something you need for one of your other interests or hobbies.

Arrow Sewing – not hardware for your bag, but for your sewing space. Arrow makes the most amazing sewing furniture that will make you drool and inspire you to create that dream sewing space you have always wanted. Sewing cabinets, sewing chairs, sewing machine tables and desks with storage, and cutting tables. If I had the space for a dedicated sewing room, I’d fill it with these wonderful designs.

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ZipIt Zippers on Etsy – our favorite supplier for zippers.  If you don’t see the exact combo or package of zippers that you want – just ask!  ZipIt has everything, in every color and is always a delight to deal with.  Zippers with metal teeth, extra wide, and the usual range of nylon zippers in a complete rainbow of colors.  The zipper assortments are always good value.

Learn to sew classes

With online sewing classes available 24/7 there are so many places you can go to ‘take a class’ and update or improve your sewing skills. You can often buy the classes individually if you have a particular interest or niche you want to follow, or invest in a subscription that gives you access to all classes on the site. Check out these suggestions:

Craftsy – quilting and sewing masterclasses, from complete beginners to advanced classes. Buy the classes individually or go for the excellent value monthly or annual subscriptions to have access to ALL of them across a wide range of subjects you’ll want to check out too. Our baking has improved no end! Favorite bag-sewing classes, Sewing Wallets Step by Step, any of the classes from Annie Unrein, or the Design Your Own Handbag class. Check out the free classes here for a taster.

Creative Bug – a bit more craft-orientated and small project-based classes than the in-depth teachings from Craftsy, so ideal for the beginner and busy folks without so much time to invest. Project-based classes give you step-by-step instruction as you complete your learning and work towards the finished result. Classes in general sewing, pattern making, bags, clothing and home decor. The Bag Design Workshop multi-part class is particularly good. Free trial available so try it out, watch the classes you like and see if Creative Bug is right for you.