With the change in seasons and warmer days ahead, nothing feels better than sewing with beautiful natural fabrics. Linen, cotton, and viscose are easy to use, drape beautifully, and feel fantastic against your skin. Whether you’re a frequent sewer or digging out your sewing machine after years of hibernation, finding beautiful sewing fabrics in New Zealand is easy.
Whatever your budget, here are some of the best places to visit (instore or online) for your next sewing project.
| Store | Location | What’s to love |
| Fabric Store | Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and online | Known for their exclusive milled linens and high-quality merino knits. A bright, stylish space with staff who love to sew. |
| Draper’s Fabrics | Auckland, Wellington and online | They source high-quality fabrics from Italy, Japan, and Spain. Hard to leave without purchasing. Staff are always happy to help. |
| Miss Maude | Greytown and online | A beautiful boutique escape! This award-winning store focuses on curated, quality materials and a charming, inspiring shopping experience. Worth the scenic drive from Wellington. |
| Ike and Geoff’s Emporium | Auckland | A bargain hunter’s dream, and you never know what natural fibre remnant you might unearth! |
| The Fabric Shop | Auckland and online | A great spot to browse for basics, quilting cottons, merinos, and affordable blends. Look out for their lucky dip specials instore! |
| Spotlight | Lots of stores nationwide and online | They carry a large, affordable range of basic natural fibres. Excellent for practice fabric, haberdashery, and regular sales. |
| Nick’s Fabrics | Auckland and a small selection online | A great place to hunt for affordable basics, quality wool coating, upholstery fabrics, and merino. In the same street as The Fabric Shop. |
| Fabric Box | Auckland and online | Gorgeous dress fabrics including high-quality linen and cotton blends. Really helpful staff. |
| The Fine Cloth Co | Wellington and online | Curated selection of high-quality natural fabrics. They cater for all skill levels, including a collection of fabrics suited for beginner sewers. |
Top tips for sewing fabrics in New Zealand
- Embrace Deadstock: This is unused, high-quality fabric saved from fashion houses. Look like a million bucks without spending it!
- Feel the fibre: If you’re shopping online, order a fabric swatch if you can to check the drape and colour. Some fabrics (especially if its polyester) can feel truly horrible!
- Consider secondhand: You can find gems in charity shops. They come in the form of cotton sheets and duvet covers. Contestants from The Great British Sewing Bee introduced this to many of us. Rosery Apparel does some fun thrifting videos of her secondhand finds.
Ready to fill your stash? Happy travels and happy sewing!
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