FAQ

Yes! We know that it’s really hard to shop for fabric online. We make it easy to order swatches so you can be sure if a fabric’s color and weight will work for your project. Swatches are just $1 each and ship for free in the US. At the end of every fabric description you'll find a link where you can order a swatch.

We ship Monday through Friday, usually within one day of purchase. If we’re away, we’ll leave a note on the home page to let you know when shipping will resume.

Yes! The shop has great threads, sewing tools and buttons, as well as an ever-changing selection of vintage textiles and other cool stuff. Come visit us to have a look.

The UK now requires online sellers to collect VAT, even if they are located in another country. We are unable to collect VAT for His Majesty’s Government, but Etsy can! Please visit our Etsy shop where you will be able to prepay your VAT at checkout.

Unfortunately many European countries now require sellers to register for packaging recycling programs. The fees are quite high, and as a small business we cannot support this cost. Therefore we regret that at present we are unable to ship to parts of the EU. You might consider using a freight forwarding service to ship parcels from the US to your country. Please note that you may have to pay customs fees, taxes etc. upon receipt of your parcel.

As you would for any fine natural fiber garment. We suggest hand washing and line drying because it’s always the gentlest method. If you want to use the washing machine, use the gentle cycle and put your fabric or garment in a zipped lingerie bag so the fabric won’t be damaged. (We only do this for sturdier handloom fabrics.)

If you want to put your fabric or garment in the dryer, first ask yourself whether that is really necessary. Then test it: the texture may change and the fabric will probably shrink. We don’t recommend it. Read more here.

Our Indian fabrics come to us elaborately folded into neat little bundles, not on bolts like you usually see at a fabric store. When have time, we try to roll them onto bolts (which smooths them out a little), but that doesn’t always happen. As you might imagine, the fabric in the middle of these fabric “cubes” can get wrinkled. But you’re going to wash it before using it anyway, right?

Pretty much everything you might make in a lighter weight woven, from shirts, tops and dresses to skirts and shorts. A lot of quilters love our handlooms and block print fabrics, too, because they’re so soft. Crafty types make bags, toys, and more.

We’re Californians, so we’ve been into recycling for a long time. Nearly all our packaging is made of recycled paper and other recycled materials, which can in turn be reused and recycled. Even the occasional plastic mailer is made of recycled material!

More than 10% of the total of every order placed on Etsy goes straight to Etsy, so unfortunately we have to adjust the prices there accordingly.

Yes, every device displays color differently. We try our best to make sure the fabric photos display accurately on a variety of devices, but ultimately this is impossible. If you need to see the exact color of a fabric, please order a swatch.

We accept returns within 30 days if the fabric is the same condition as when we sent it to you, i.e. unwashed, uncut, and without odors, pet hair, etc. Only the cost of the fabric will be refunded. If the fabric is not in the same condition as when we sent it, we will not be able to accept your return. We cannot accept returns on patterns, books, swatches, sale fabric, or fabric pieces of less than one yard in length. After 5 years in business, no one has asked to return their fabric — just sayin’!