Michaels goes the extra yard for Joann’s quilting customers

NORTHEAST WIS. – While a scarcity of fabric rarely stops a die-hard quilter from finding material to work with, crafts retailer Michaels hopes to pick up some of the slack left in the market when Joann stores closed. Previously, Joann’s operated a store at the Pine Tree Mall in Marinette.

Michaels said it responded to a 77% year-over-year increase in searches for “fabric” on Michaels.com by expanding its line of fabrics and sewing supplies through an acquisition of private-label products and other intellectual property from Joann Inc.

Local quilters said they miss being able to pick up batting and sewing supplies they need for their hobby at Joann’s. Michaels has an online store and retail stores in Green Bay and Marquette, Mich.

“In my little quilting world, the gals are excited [that] some of Joann’s stuff will be available there,” said Jackie Lehto, a quilter with Wild Rivers Quilt Guild in Florence. “Joann’s was a resource for a lot of people.”

Michaels said in a June 5 announcement it offers 10,000 fabric options online, providing “an unparalleled selection of materials.”

But many quilters prefer to examine fabric in person before springing for it, local quilters said.

“We’re going to really miss Joann’s,” said Linda Rich, vice president of Northwood Quilters, a group that meets at Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Marinette. She said she hopes Hobby Lobby moves into Joann’s former location in Marinette.

Rich said she prefers to buy fabric at a brick-and-mortar store, and she’s not the only one.

“From what I hear of my friends talking, they don’t like to do it online. They like to see the fabric. I know for myself, I would like to go to a store and see it,” Rich said. “A lot of times if I know where I bought it from, I will call the store and most will ship it out to you.”

When Lehto teaches quilting, she tells her students, “Buy the best fabric you can afford. If it’s Walmart, buy that. If it’s Joann’s, buy that. If it’s a quilt shop, buy that.”

For quilters who compare prices, Joann’s didn’t offer the lowest prices, said Rich, who worked at Pine Street Quilts in Marinette before the store closed. “We were selling the batting for $11-something a yard. Joann’s was at $20,” she said.

When Wild Rivers Quilt Guild recently went on a shopping trip for quilting fabrics and supplies, it traveled to Wausau to Sew Much More, she said.

Northwood Quilters traveled by bus to three quilting stores for a shopping day in May, Rich said. Fabric wasn’t the only item on people’s shopping lists. “What we really need is buttons and rulers and needles for sewing machines – and straight pins for material,” she said.

With concerns about tariffs boosting prices, Lehto said she recalls where women obtained fabric for quilting historically. “I think of our grandmothers and what they did. They used what was on hand. They didn’t necessarily go out and buy fabric for a quilt,” she said. Oftentimes they would use scraps of fabric from flour sacks or outgrown clothing.

With costs expected to rise, quilters might have to get creative again. “Another side of that coin we’re looking at is what tariffs will do to the cost of fabric, because that is a little bit concerning,” Lehto said.

“Right now, it’s $13.99 a yard and that’s getting painful,” she said. “A lot of folks have trouble making ends meet. If they love quilting, they’re going to find a way to do it.”