Where Can I Buy Oilcloth?

Ask an Expert Banner NSC

NSC Question

I see you have a lot of projects on your site using oilcloth. My question is, where do you even find this kind of fabric? I tried all my local fabric stores and none of them sell it. Most have never even heard of it!

Submitted by Kim


NSC Answer

Hi Kim! I’m not sure what your local craft store is, but if you have a Jo-Ann Fabrics nearby they usually carry it. You will want to check in the upholstery or outdoor fabrics sections. You might find though that they can be limited in the number of colors or prints they have available.

A great place to find not only many different colors and prints of oilcloth, but other fabrics as well, is www.fabric.com. This is one of my favorite sites online to buy fabric. Just do a search for “oil cloth” on this site and you will find tons of great options to browse through.

Happy sewing!

Ashley



Related Video: Make a Quick & Easy Oilcloth Luggage Tag

Do you have a sewing question you’d like answered by an expert? Email your question to editor@nationalsewingcircle.com or reach out to us on Facebook.

Please note: questions may be edited for clarity and relevance.

Reply to Revonda
  • (will not be published)

21 Responses to “Where Can I Buy Oilcloth?”

    • Customer Service

      Hi Martha. I’m not sure what your local craft store is, but if you have a Jo-Ann Fabrics nearby they usually carry it. You will want to check in the upholstery or outdoor fabrics sections. You might find though that they can be limited in the number of colors or prints they have available.

      A great place to find not only many different colors and prints of oilcloth, but other fabrics as well, is http://www.fabric.com. This is one of my favorite sites online to buy fabric. Just do a search for “oil cloth” on this site and you will find tons of great options to browse through.
      Ashley
      National Sewing Circle

      Reply
  1. Lavon

    My singer is skipping stichies while sewing on very thin nylon athletic shirt. Tension on auto and using 16/100 needle. Why?

    Reply
  2. Pat

    You can buy oilcloth in any good hardware store. It is used for tablecloths in the kitchen or garden and you can make shopping bags out of it, or lots of various items because it is waterproof. If you have a weekly open market you should find a stall there selling it. The patterns are endless it’s difficult to choose one you like best. It’s difficult to sew as it is thick but for a tablecloth or similar the cut edge is acceptable. Just buy the size to fit your table with several inches to drape over the table edge. Oilcloth has a long service life to just have to sponge it clean but you cannot put hot dishes directly onto it you must use table mats to place any hot items on them. There are endless colours and patterns to choose from when you find a supplier. Good luck with your venture.

    Reply
  3. Lil

    Hi
    I am looking for acid free fabric, paper, or boxes. Joanna’s doesn’t have nor Hobby Lobby. Help. Thanks

    Reply
  4. Susan Roberts

    Can you show me how to sew a zipper into a knitted sweater please?

    Reply
  5. Jeanne Lawhorne

    I am a size 0 or smaller. Most pants sit just below your natural waist. How do you adjust the pant’s waist band to fit smoothly around the top of the pants? This waist band is usually cut on the bias and I’m having a hard time trying to adjust it to smaller size and have a smooth fitting band.

    Thank you,
    Jeanne

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Jeanne. What can help you when making this type of adjustment is to not only make alterations to the size of the waistband but to the top of the actual pants as well. You can do this by adding simple pleats either on the front or back of the pants and then ease the smaller waistband in to fit. If you don’t remove some of the excess size from the top of the pants it will be hard to get the top of the waistband to fit without puckering.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply
    • Karen

      I have altered clothing for many clients who have lost weight. The best places to reduce the size of pants to accommodate a smaller waist band is at the seams. Divide the amount to be reduced by the number of seams you have to work with (w/ a zipper, you would have 3 = back, & both sides). These are usually fairly small increments, but will make a big difference how flat the pants will lay. If the pants already have darts, you can use those as a guideline & just slightly increase the amount of fabric taken up by the dart. Be aware of where the dart points to — sometimes you can make a dart “disappear” into a side seam or a pocket.

      Reply
  6. Revonda

    I haven’t seen real oilcloth in years. I would love to be able to purchase it. All I find are the laminated fabrics. Oilcloth was the fabric of choice for most kitchen tables for many years.

    Reply
  7. Rae

    Kim, I worked in fabric stores for 18 years Jo-Anns included. Thought you might want to know the tablecloth vinyl is what is considered oil cloth. It isn’t called oil cloth on the roll. Hope that helps you.

    Reply
  8. Joan

    a store called THE RANGE sells a variety of oilcloths. its a fabric that tablecloths were made from in the 1950s

    Reply
  9. mixcotton

    I like the oilcloth print Aurora used to make the beach bag, where can i buy the same print oilcloth?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello. The prints that were used have been discontinued. They have been replaced and you can get them at FabricBlissDenver.com/shop.

      Reply
  10. Lois

    Is there a difference between laminated cotton and oil cloth. I can find laminated cotton, but not oil cloth. Thanks for clearing this up for me.

    Reply
    • National Sewing Circle

      Hi Lois. Oil cloth is a woven fabric that has been treated with oil. This gives it a water-resistant surface.
      Laminated cotton is high quality cotton that has a water-resistant plastic finish on the right side.
      Laminated cotton still feels like regular cotton on the wrong side, whereas oil cloth is fairly stiff on both sides. Both work great when wanting to make a project that can be easily cleaned, like a lunch bag or table cloth. However, if you are making something that you need to drape or something that may be up against skin, like a raincoat or a baby bib, laminated cotton may be the way to go.
      Hope this helps!

      Reply