UK fabric shops compared
Six well-known UK online fabric shops, compared on how they sell fabric and how their swatch service works. Facts are from each shop's own pages, checked 1 November 2026.
Bobbin's checklist
Order swatches before you buy metres. Colours look different on screens, and touching the fabric tells you how it drapes.
Order swatches before you buy metres. Colours look different on screens, and touching the fabric tells you how it drapes.
Fabric Godmother
VisitGood for:dressmaking prints and plains in half-metre steps.
- Sold in 0.5m increments
- Up to 3 free samples (about 6×10cm), you pay postage
Merchant & Mills
VisitGood for:linens, oilcloths and their own patterns.
- 0.5m minimum, then 10cm steps
- Samples 50p each plus £1 postage (about 6×12cm)
- Delivery 2–5 working days; next day £15
Lamazi Fabrics
VisitGood for:garment fabrics from European mills.
- Swatches £0.80 each, about 5–7.5cm
- Swatches dispatched within 10 days
- No swatches on stock under 5m
Fabworks
VisitGood for:budget mill-end fabrics.
- Samples £2 each, about 12×20cm
- Free UK shipping on samples
- Allow up to 8 working days by Royal Mail
Sew Essential
VisitGood for:dressmaking fabric per metre, plus patchwork fabric and fat quarters.
- Checked 1 November 2026
Minerva
VisitGood for:dressmaking fabric, sewing patterns and haberdashery in one place.
- Checked 1 November 2026
Sources
All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.