Diamonds in the Rough: Where to Shop for Costume and Cosplay Fabric in Salt Lake County, Utah

With the loss of JoAnn, sewers everywhere have been impacted. For historic costumers in Salt Lake County, Utah, finding fabric has become more frustrating than deciphering poorly-written pattern instructions, especially if you're someone who would rather avoid buying fabric online. You can't feel the fabric to gauge the texture and weight through a computer screen, and there's no hope of accurate color matching without seeing your fabrics in-person. Oh, sure, you could buy samples, but the cost can add up quickly, and a trip to the LA Fashion District is even more expensive.

A quick Google search makes it look like the prospects aren't too bad. The results reveal a fair number of fabric stores in Salt Lake County that should give you plenty of options for the costume you're working on for that upcoming Regency ball.

Or so you think. When you start driving to stores, by the time you're several stores in and all of them have been quilt shops with nothing but quilting cotton, flannel, and minky, it starts to get discouraging.

But there is hope. You can still make costumes that will let you feel like Cinderella at your next historic dance event without the hassle of shopping online. Members of Clockwork and Gears Vintage Dancing have scoped out many of the fabric stores in Salt Lake County so you don't have to and have found some diamonds in the rough that are useful to historic costumers and cosplayers.

The Tangled Thread (West Valley City)

The Tangled Thread is a small local business owned by Connie Smith and run by her and her daughter Abi. This hidden gem was the last store we visited, but I'm putting it first because it was by far our favorite. The amount of quilting cottons: tiny. The amount of high-quality fabric for costumes and apparel: the majority of the store. There were knit fabrics, spandex, linen, satin, upholstery fabrics, and more. Most were made from natural fibers, which was a big selling point for us. Anyone who has been to a ball knows how nice it is to have a costume made from fabric that breathes instead of that plastic man-made heat-trapping stuff. They also had a fair amount of trims and other notions and a collection of uncut out-of-print patterns.

The eco-conscious sewer may be interested to know that all their products are sustainably sourced. Much of their collection is deadstock fabrics they rescued from the path to the landfill, and they also give sewing supplies new life by helping people destash their cluttered craft rooms, leading to many unique and vintage options.

It's a small store, so there's an element of luck involved. Yes, they have apparel fabric and they use their space well enough that there are many options to choose from, but will they have what you're looking for? Connie and Abi will help you find out. This was the greatest customer service experience I've ever had. They wanted to help, but it didn't feel like when you walk into Bath & Body Works and get attacked by "good customer service" the moment you step through the door. Instead, Connie and Abi welcomed us and then let us look around on our own for a bit before eventually striking up a conversation, and things flowed naturally from there.

On this fabric run, we were specifically looking for a gold brocade. Up to this point in our quest, we hadn't encountered a single fabric store with any brocade, but when we walked into The Tangled Thread, there were several gold options just in the first rack. We were no longer just looking for something that would work. We were narrowing down options to pick a favorite. Then, Abi looked in the back and brought out several other possibilities, and Connie scrolled through photos of what they had in their off-site storage and offered to let us go over there and take a look if anything looked promising. We ended up finding the perfect fabric in-store, but we appreciated the offer. In a world that constantly promotes buying things online based on photos, it was nice meeting other sewers who understood the importance of seeing things in-person to the point they'd be willing to let us go to their off-site storage.

This also speaks volumes for how much they care about their customers. They aren't trying to get through their day with minimal effort. They're taking a genuine interest in their customers and their customers' projects, and they want to do everything they can to help their customers succeed. And they aren't going to try pressuring you into buying anything. We also needed a cream fabric to go with the gold brocade, and they looked through their stock to help us find options, but they didn't have quite what we needed for the second fabric. They didn't try talking us into a different color or one of the options that wasn't quite right like a salesperson at a different store might. Instead, they wished us luck, asked us to send photos of the dress after it was done, and we went on our merry way.

Don't want to drive all the way out there on the chance that they might have what you need? They got you. After we had all our fabrics figured out and were to the point of gathering other supplies, my sister was able to text them to see if they had the interfacing our pattern called for. They didn't at the time, so we loved the convenience of being able to get a quick answer without needing to drive out there to scope it out ourselves.

This is not the largest fabric store in Salt Lake County, but they win for our favorite for their impressive selection despite their size and the unparalleled customer service. This was our last stop on this fabric hunt, but it's going to be our first stop for future trips.

Design Company Fabrics (Sugarhouse)

Design Company Fabrics is the Cullinan Diamond of Utah fabric stores. The largest fabric store in Salt Lake County, this 22,000 square foot store houses thousands of fabrics that are perfect for your costume and cosplay needs, and while you're blissfully wandering this maze of fabric, you'll notice there's not a single bolt of quilting cotton in sight. You'll notice they have everything else, though.

The front section is primarily upholstery, bedding, drapery, and apparel fabrics, so many of which would be perfect for a historic gown or a dapper waistcoat. As you move farther back, you'll find denims, silks, satins, linens, knits, microfibers, tulle, suiting fabrics, a dedicated bridal section, and a full rainbow of vinyl for all your faux leather needs, whether that be a jerkin for an upcoming Renaissance faire or anime shoe covers. The first time you're there, it feels like it goes on forever, but you haven't truly seen it all until you reach the greenhouse with the outdoor fabrics.

Can't find what you're looking for? They now offer fabric printing services for custom designs, like Spoonflower but local.

Their notions are more limited, with their only available trims evidently being geared toward curtains, but if you're looking for a good tassel trim, this could be a place to look.

The customer service here felt more like Bath & Body Works (just not quite that bad), but the fabric selection is too good for that to steer us away from this exceptional resource.

Salt Lake Sewciety (Salt Lake City)

Salt Lake Sewciety recently moved to a larger location in Salt Lake City. The location itself is a bit odd (if you feel like you're pulling into someone's driveway and walking into their garage, you're in the right place), but the store is excellent. They specialize in apparel fabric and have an impressive collection of knit fabrics. There are also outdoor fabrics, upholstery fabrics, satins, some suiting fabrics, a small bridal section, and more.

In addition to fabrics, they carry sewing tools, buttons, snaps, belt buckles, D-rings, dungaree clips, zippers, and other apparel hardware. There was also a modest selection of interfacing. For fans of Gütermann thread, so far, this is the only store we've found that carries Gütermann thread in-store, and they have a large display with any color you might need.

We didn't interact much with the employees here, but that alone says a lot about how good the customer service is. This is the type of place you can quietly shop without people getting in your face every few minutes. Introverts rejoice!

Hobby Lobby (Various locations)

Hobby Lobby used to just be a source of quilting cotton, flannel, minky, and fleece, but after JoAnn closed its doors, they revamped. You'll now find a small collection of satin, knits, linen, duck cloth, outdoor, and various other fabrics with costuming potential.

All three of the Salt Lake County locations have similar options, though there are some differences between stores. The South Jordan location has a smaller fabric section than the Draper or West Valley locations, but all three have an impressive collection of trim, buttons, ribbon, and other notions, making Hobby Lobby one of the best remaining in-store options for notions, and they have a fair supply of interfacing. Currently, they're our go-to for zippers since they're the only store we know of that carries YKK zippers in-store.

Michael's (Various Locations)

If the algorithm knows you as well as it knows me, you've probably seen the ads about the Michael's new Knit & Sew Shop that started circulating shortly after JoAnn went under. If you're like me, you probably rushed over there all excited…only to be sorely disappointed that nothing changed except for the addition of a "Knit & Sew Shop" sign. Oh sure, they have a lot more fabric available online, but the entire purpose of this exercise was to find in-person fabric shopping.

It looks like Michael's might be gradually expanding, though. For the first few months after the announcement, there were maybe five bolts of fabric that could be used for costumes on a good week. The rest was all standard quilt shop. During my more recent visits to a few of the locations, though, I've noticed the addition of some bins that have costume and apparel fabrics. I'm still not very impressed, considering all the hype they gave the "new Knit & Sew Shop," but maybe in coming months, we'll see the in-store selection continue to grow.

Disappointing fabric selection aside, Michael's is still a great resource. They have a good selection of trim, ribbon, and buttons, and they're the only place I've found locally that carries the Coats & Clark Dual Duty XP thread. They also have Coats & Clark zippers. Overall, Michael's is worth a visit the next time you're gathering supplies for a sewing project.

Nuttall's Sewing Centers (Various Locations)

Nuttall's Sewing Centers isn't the best place for costume and apparel fabric since it's primarily a quilting store. The Riverton location had a grand total of two small racks of satin and tulle, and the Murray location had this plus a few bolts of knits. However, Nuttall's is noteworthy for other reasons.

There's a selection of trim and a good supply of interfacing, and this is the only place we've found that sells boning by the yard for when you need something longer than an industrial zip tie. Nuttall's is a good place to get needles since they carry Schmetz brand, and if you like Coats & Clark zippers, you'll find them in all colors and sizes here. They also carry patterns but don't have pattern catalogues, so if you have the pattern number of something you saw online but don't want to pay for shipping and then wait for it to arrive, call Nuttall's, and they can check and let you know if they have it in stock. If they do, you can pick it up that day.

The Fabric Center (West Jordan)

The Fabric Center's selection of apparel and costume fabric is small, but it exists, which is more than most fabric stores in Salt Lake County can say, so it's worth noting. They have a small rack of satins and a few shelves of knits in addition to their other fabrics.

Walmart (Various Locations)

This one was unexpected, but some Walmart locations have a surprisingly useful, albeit small, fabric section where, in addition to quilting cotton, you can find various assortment of poly satin, home décor fabric, outdoor fabric, faux leather, duck cloth, interfacing, ribbon, trim, Coats & Clark zippers, bias tape, Schmetz needles, and various other sewing tools and supplies, some by Dritz and some off-brand. Of those we've visited, the Riverton S Hamilton View Rd Supercenter has the most fabric, and the South Jordan S Parkway Supercenter has the most tools and notions, though we'll update if that changes as our travels take us to new locations.

What Are Your Finds?

Now that we've reached the end of our list, we'd love to hear your lists. If you know of any other fabric stores in Salt Lake County, UT that are great for historic costuming and cosplay, let us know in the comments.

If you want more occasions to use the costumes you've made, come dance with us! Most group members typically wear everyday modern-era clothes to our free weekly practices, but we are regularly involved with events that will give you ample opportunities to show off your hard work.