Buying Fabric in a Post Joann’s World

We are knee deep in renovating our basement. The time has come for me to pick the upholstery fabric to recover some items, and I have to admit…I’m a bit nervous buying fabric in a post Joann’s world. While Joann’s upholstery fabrics haven’t been my favorite designs, it was nice to be able to touch and feel them. Now I’m trying to determine what a fabric “feels” like through my laptop screen.

Recently I put together a post about buying fabric in the wake of Joann’s closing, which you can find here. So I’m trying to take my own advice.

Fabric Needs:

My husband’s family has had this neat table since he was little. It’s a bench seat table. There are three pieces of the bench which need updated. Then there are two chairs. The table has loads of storage. It’s top slides to reveal a large storage space, there is a drawer in the base. And if memory serves me right there are even drawers that are installed under the benches. The center part of the bench can only be redone when the table is totally disassembled. So we’re in a bit of a time crunch here. The benches are two pretty long segments. And the chair cushions have a bit of a rounded shape.

So I need a wide fabric, that can hold up to kids and a dog. It has to drape pretty well as I’ll need to round out some corners. And we’re looking at a green color scheme to go with some of the antiques that we have, including this cool ammo case from World War 2.

When In Doubt Swatch It Out

When you are buying fabric in a post Joann’s world, swatches can be your very best friend. I love the designs on Spoonflower but I’ve never used their upholstery fabric before. Here is the initial fabric that I loved from SpoonFlower. It’s similar to two wall papers we already have purchased from them! These swatches are about $5. While I still love the print, I’m not in love with the two fabric options.

Initially I ordered five swatches in two different fabrics from them. However, I didn’t love the price of their higher quality fabric, and the weave was a bit loose for me and my rough family’s needs. I’m so glad that I ordered the swatches to feel the fabric and see the weave up close.

And this is one that I’ve found another selection from Folio Fabrics. I’ve just ordered a swatch of this and a few others! Folio is having a sale on their swatches. They’re just $1 for the moment, so I ordered four options to test them out.

I can’t wait to see if I like this one or the others in person! Follow along for more updates on the basement and how it’s coming together. I think the rest of the house will feel like it’s falling into place too with permanent homes for some of our other furniture.