08/20/2026
Budget fabric shopping tips! One of the most common questions I receive from my community is where I source the fabric for my medieval wardrobe. I myself was trained from a very young age to always hunt for a bargain and never pay full (retail) price, so the following tips will be aimed at the budget-conscious. If budget is not a concern for you, then all you need to do is reach out to Italian drapers located in cities like Rome, Venice and Florence, and they will be able to outfit you with replica silks to your bottomless budget's content. Or Sartor in the Czech Republic for slightly less pricey options. 😅
As for the rest of us... my number one stop for fabrics that approximate 15th century and 16th century originals is a true fabric outlet called fabricguru com. They get the bolt ends from the major interior decor houses, which means that they are generally reselling very high-end fabrics that are intended for high traffic applications. They also offer discount codes a couple of times a year, so it's worth signing up for their email list to get that extra 15% or even 20% off your purchase. I have procured silk velvet that retails for $300 a meter or more for $20 to $40 a meter, for instance. The selection is unfortunately subject to the vicissitudes of the Interior Decor fashion world, so you really have to keep your eye on their selection as the seasons change.
EBay is another place where I have had great luck in sourcing silks suitable for 15th century clothing. The 100% silk damask cover for my wide Burgundian belt was procured on eBay for a mere $35 a meter, when that fabric retails for $400. I have another 10 meters of it that I plan to turn into two different gowns someday. 😅 on eBay I also found the beautiful silk h**p blend damask out of which the orange cioppa in this picture is made for $18 a yard. I make heavy use of specific Search terms and filters to make sure I'm getting down to the items that I specifically want. I search for silk damask, silk taffeta, brocade, or silk velvet, and then in the filters under fiber, I make sure to tick only natural fibers such as silk, linen, h**p, cotton, ramie Etc.. I also add "-faux" into the search window to eliminate all of the garbage artificial nonsense that they try to qualify as silk because it is supposedly silky in nature but manufactured of petrochemicals and other synthetic refuse. If there are too many search results, I add Renaissance into the search field to further refine it. I have also had really good luck finding highly discounted silk and linen curtain sets on eBay as well - silk organza for veils, for instance.
When it comes to quality linen, I also recommend checking the curtain and bedding sections of your local charity shops. I once found a gorgeous set of white linen curtains at my local Goodwill near Seattle for only $9, containing about 6 yd of high quality linen between the two panels.
Ikea is another surprise place for procuring finely and densely woven white linen. Thanks to the sometimes, um, bland aesthetics of Scandinavian chic, they often purvey white linen duvet sets, which are intended for heavy wear and tear and therefore of quality manufacture. We specifically purchased a queen sized linen duvet set from the Renton IKEA near Seattle for $40, specifically from the Second Chances area. (Second Chances is where Ikea puts all of its former floor models that might be slightly less than perfect, offering them at a severely discounted price. Happily linen can be laundered back to a pristine state of white.😊)
I have purchased wool on eBay as well. The pink wool in the gamurra in this picture constitutes such a purchase. I think I paid $15 a yard for it. The Pendleton wool mill outlet in Oregon is another great place to obtain a good bargain on high-quality wool in a variety of bright colors. The problem, of course, is that you have to go there and shop in person, or make friends with someone in Portland and have them go as your agent. 😅
One can purchase medium- to low-quality linen online at places like fabrics store com, but be forewarned that, while cheap, it will definitely not be the longest lasting or the most finely woven. I have recently made a purchase of linen from a new source; it is more expensive ($30 a yard), but it is supposed to be top-quality linen. I'm going to unpackage it shortly and make a post about it, so stay tuned for more details!
What sort of budget medieval fabric shopping tips do you have?
