There is a good reason that almost anything genuinely vintage is considered highly valuable today: we humans are suckers for nostalgia. Picture your home, built to your specifications, and decorated with the timeless vintage fabrics that fire up a strong sense of nostalgia every time you see, touch, or even smell it.
Vintage fabrics and textiles are capable of evoking memories and feelings that are uniquely satisfying. After all, bringing the distant past into your home is, in a way, literally living at a different time. Perhaps the greater question at this point you need an answer to is, where and how can you buy these vintage fabrics and textiles online? Read on to find out, the answer is more familiar than you think.
What makes vintage textiles and fabrics so valuable?
Over the past couple of decades, vintage textiles and fabrics have gained a lot of popularity, particularly for use in home decor. As people’s tastes, preferences, and styles evolve, we find ourselves having gone full cycle to where we were decades or centuries ago.
A good example of the fluidity of fashion and tastes is the currently popular shabby chic trend that has seen bark cloth florals that were once popular between the 1960 and 1970s. This half-a-century old trend is back and it is driving the prices of these fabrics through the roof.
Before you place an order for your favorite vintage fabric or textile, there are a handful of tips you will find invaluable in helping you buy a genuinely vintage material that will continue to age gracefully as you use it.
Where to look for vintage fabrics and textiles online
Considering how massive the internet is, you need to know where to look or at least where to start when searching for specific vintage textiles and fabrics. On top of the list of places you can readily find these items is an auction house. If you want to get the very best vintages in the market, you should be watching the most reputable auction sites online for when a piece that interests you is listed for auction.
Just below the auction houses, there are rummage and estate sales, thrift stores, and church bazaars on the list of places to look for vintage fabrics. You probably did not know this but some of the most valuable vintage fabrics ever were discovered in rummage sales and bought for close to nothing. Furthermore, it may eventually pay off if you concentrate your search on fabric and textile businesses that have been in operation for at least a few decades.
You will have to put a lot of effort into searching for vintage fabrics if you are ever to find the finest ones still out there. You may also get lucky looking for them in upcoming e-commerce sites that may not deal primarily in vintage fabrics. However, since everyone knows this is the first place to check on the internet, manage your expectations as you begin the search and expect the pricing to be a little steep – even unpredictable – because of demand.
There are few little-known corners on the internet where you can get look for vintage fabrics and textiles with less hassle. Antique textiles are typically made from natural fibers and materials, things like animal fur, cotton, wool, silk, or linen. The first synthetic, or man-made and non-natural, textile fibers were invented at the end of the nineteenth century and began to be regularly used in fabrics in the 1920s. The experts behind Hot Pink Haberdashery reveal secrets of identifying high-quality fabrics and haberdashery items. Before you select a shopping store, make sure they are passionate about all things crafts, and their products include genuine vintage fabrics and textiles. You may get lucky to find exactly what you are looking for where no one would even consider searching.
Buying a vintage item online is very tricky, which is why while there are plenty of retailers claiming to deal with vintage items, you cannot trust what most of them advertise. Filter out retailers and brokers who do not have the item they advertise on display. You can only tell whether a fabric is genuinely vintage when you get to hold it in your hand, examine the threads, smell it, or feel the fibers. Therefore, when shopping online, you should only consider buying from a store that offers a good return policy.
Know what to look for when hunting for vintage fabrics
Other than knowing where on the internet to hunt for vintage fabrics, you also need to know roughly what you are looking for to make the search easier. Most people fall in love with a certain era of decor and tirelessly search for fabrics from that age. It would serve you well to narrow your search down to increase the chances of finding what you are looking for when the net is cast widest.
The most valuable and the most sought after vintage fabrics on the internet are those still in mint unused condition. However, it is getting ever increasingly difficult to find them in this condition. It is also recommended that if possible, take the time to scrutinize any vintage fabric you are considering buying. Examine the piece for any stains, difficult-to-detect thinning spots, and any other signs that may mean the quality of the fabric may not be what is being advertised.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Thanks for this info very helpful always on the hunt for good vintage fabric – thx for sharing!