Immortal Wordsmith

This guide to finding blue quilting fabric will give you seven new places to shop for materials. I have personally used all seven shops and you can actually see some of their fabrics in the quilting guides I have previously published at Immortal Wordsmith!

If you are struggling to find blue fabrics for your quit project, or suddenly find yourself needing a replacement fabric for an existing quilt, don’t worry – I’ve got your back.

Please leave a comment below if you know of any other great places to buy blue quilting fabric in the UK – I’d love to share them with my readers.

Tips for Choosing Blue Quilting Fabric

When you are selecting blue fabrics for your quilt pattern, think about:

• Size of the fabric – margins need to match up!
• Direction of the pattern – some quilts have a natural top and bottom.
• Hems and seams – it’s always best to order more than you need.
• Complimentary colours – if possible, order some samples to check that the blue colours work with existing fabrics.

Many stores offer bundles of fabric, containing several blue materials that already work well together.

7 Places to Buy Blue Quilt Fabric

These seven online places stock a range of blue fabrics. All of these stores ship their fabric across the UK and several also have international shipping options.

1. Alice Caroline for Blue Pattern Fabric

My first place to find blue quilting fabric is Alice Caroline. This British shop sells a range of Liberty fabrics, which are very delicate and good for creating summer quilts, as well as thicker quilting fabrics from a range of designers.

I have shopped at Alice Caroline for nearly all of my quilts – I like to find very intricate and busy patterns from this store, then match them with plainer fabrics from elsewhere to create a detailed quilt top. You can also find pre-made collections, where the shop has gathered together complimentary blue fabrics and cut them into smaller sizes.

2. Amazon for Cheap Blue Cotton Fabric

For all its faults, Amazon is still a brilliant place to find fabric for quilting. If you are on a budget or have a tight schedule, Amazon can get fabric to your doorstep quicker than any other online store. That being said, you won’t find the highest quality fabrics here, or the beautiful patterns you’d find at Alice Caroline.

I recommend using Amazon for block colours and filler fabrics – they fill the gaps in your patterns but are never the centrepiece. To save money further, look at purchasing bed sheets rather than fabric rolls. You can also use these large sheets of fabric for the backing of your quilt.

3. Spoonflower for Patchwork Quilt Blue Fabric

Spoonflower is a website where talented artists upload their patterns, so that quilters and crafters like us can have them printed on fabrics and sent to our homes. I have found some really unique patterns on this site and although it can get costly, you are more likely to find the perfect fabric to complete your quilt.

I have found Spoonflower particularly useful for finding blue backing fabric for quilts, when I have created an elaborate patchwork front and cannot find something to tie it all together. At the time of writing, there are over 10,000 different blue patterns to select from. Once you have made your choice, the fabric is printed to order.

4. Fashion Formula for Custom Blues

Fashion Formula is a website much like Spoonflower, but with a different selection of artists and a much wider range of fabrics bases – I recommend the Calico Plain Cotton for most basic quilts, or one of the silkier polyester fabrics for making a lighter, summer quilt. For beginners, the Calico Plain Cotton is very forgiving and easy to work with. Just remember to wash it before you use it in my Quick Quilting Beginners Guide.

The awesome thing about Fashion Formula is that you can also upload your own designs to have printed on fabric… and there’s no minimum order size. If you have an idea in mind of a fabric pattern that would work well with your quilt, you can have it drawn up by an artist and use Fashion Formula to get it printed. I have used this site for backing fabrics (there’s not much as much variety for backing fabrics elsewhere), as you can increase the pattern size and order quite large swathes of fabric.

I really love that Fashion Formula print all their fabrics in Park Royal, North-West London. They’re a great British brand!

5. Cotton Patch for Traditional Quilting

Cotton Patch has an outdated website, but don’t judge a book by a cover. This store can be a treasure trove for beautiful blue quilt fabrics in the UK. With a wide selection of Moda and Makower fabrics, they are my top choice for modern prints and block colours.

If you like to quilt with fat quarters, jelly rolls or any other pre-cut fabric, then they will have a great selection of options for you. By the way, I have also recently given my top recommendations for quilting books, including a couple that have patterns specifically for pre-cut fabric sizes.

I also like that Cotton Patch focus solely on quilting, so you can find high quality quilting equipment (rotary cutters, mats, rulers, templates, etc.) here too.

6. Billow Fabrics for Padding Too!

I actually found Billow Fabrics when I was looking to buy wadding for my first ever quilt – I swear by their 100% cotton wadding and use it for all my projects. But you can also find a great range of blue fabrics at Billow Fabrics.

Besides the extensive collection of Liberty fabrics, you can find wool felt and linen in some beautiful colours – including gingham patterns. You can buy large fabric pieces or scrap packs.

While you are at Billow Fabrics, you can also get materials for doll making and a wide variety of buttons. It’s worth taking a look at!

7. Marilyn’s Patchwork for Hard-to-Find Blue Fabrics

Marilyn’s Patchwork is a small Etsy shop that I stumbled across years ago. If you are looking for a particular pattern that most shops stopped selling years ago, it’s always worth seeing if Marilyn’s Patchwork has it available.

At the time of writing, this shop has a good selection of blue quilting fabric including patterns by Philip Jacobs, Kaffe Fassett, Kaufman, Lewis & Irene, and Lecien. I also love taking a look at their Japanese fabrics.

If you are creating a quilt and are struggling to find a fabric to tie it all together, some of the unusual patterns that you can at Marilyn’s Patchwork will be ideal.