Buyer’s Guide to 18th Century Cotton Floral Prints

One question I receive a lot is, “where do I find appropriate 18th century floral prints?” I realize that it’s taken *years* to source these out, so to save you time (and maybe some money, too), here’s my personal, non-exhaustive, go-to list of vendors selling floral 18th century prints in cotton.

I’ve sorted them by price, though some of these are sold in lengths other than yards (such as the Dutch chintz and the curtain panels), so prices may be a bit deceiving (in either a good or bad way).

Most of these shops have LOTS of other designs and offerings (Reproduction Fabrics, Colonial Williamsburg, and Wm. Booth Draper, for example), so be sure to click through to see the whole range. Many of the shops also have silks, linens, and wool for sale. Links to the shops are listed at the end of the post, or you can click on each fabric swatch image to go directly to that fabric (and consequently the shop)

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Dutch Quilts fabric – € 4,75 or approx. $6.48 per 25 cm or $23.70/yard – does not include shipping

Reproduction Fabrics – $10.50/yard

IKEA – Stenort Duvet cover – $49.99 full/queen, one-sided. Enough to make a gown.

IKEA – Hassleklocka Duvet cover – $24.99 queen size, double-sided, enough to make a gown and petticoat

**IKEA retires and introduces difference duvet textiles regularly, so if the two above are no longer available it is still worth a look at the Ikea website to see if any new 18th century style textiles are available.

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Reproduction Fabrics – $11.00/yard

Reproduction Fabrics – $11.00/yard

Reproduction Fabrics – $11.00/yard

Discount Fabrics USA – $11.81/yard (price may change)

Colonial Williamsburg “Brandied Raisin Chintz” $14/yd

Colonial Williamsburg “Fanny’s India Floral Cotton” $14/yd

Colonial Williamsburg “Francis Open Floral Cotton” $14/yd

When it comes to historical accuracy, the Colonial Williamsburg reproduction fabrics are *the best.* They’re excellent quality, very reasonably priced, and are made from original textiles, many in the Williamsburg collection. See all of the Colonial Williamsburg fabrics here.

Fashionable Frolick on Etsy – $16.50/yard

Discount Fabrics USA – $17.81/yard (price may change)

Waverly “Felicite” Curtains – $19.98/2 84×50″ panels

The famous Waverly “Felicite” curtains are available in ivory, red, black, and in yardage from Joann’s also in blue, and ivory/green. *Note: The Joann’s yardage may be heavier than the packaged curtains from Lowe’s. Be sure to avoid heavy upholstery weight or even medium weight cottons – you want lightweight.

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Wm. Booth Draper – $35.95/yard

Wm. Booth Draper – $39.95/yard

Wm. Booth Draper – $39.95/yard

IKEA – Ingmarie Curtains – $39.99/2 98×57″ panels

Duran Textiles – no price, but tend to be expensive (see how to order link below)

Duran Textiles – no price, but tend to be expensive (see how to order link below)

In the future, some of these fabrics may not be carried by the vendors, so here’s a list of each shop (and a few more) so you can click through and search on your own:

• Colonial Williamsburg Marketplace – Colonial Fabrics directly from original examples.
• Duran Textiles – Swedish specialists in historic textiles – HOW TO ORDER (because it’s really confusing)
• Wm. Booth Draper – Cotton Prints
• Discount Fabrics USA
• Time Travel Textiles
• Reproduction Fabrics – cotton prints sorted by time period, 1775 – 1950
• Den Haan & Wagenmakers B.V. – Dutch Chintz (ships from Amsterdam)
• Betina Printing – manufacturers of the fabrics carried by Den Haan & Wagenmakers. Also sell to the general public, for about the same price in euros.
• eQuilter.com
• Burnley & Trowbridge
• Joann’s – the occasional period cotton in the quilting or home dec sections.
• Fashionable Frolick on Etsy – small selection of well-curated prints
• Spoonflower – design your own, or see what others have made – here are my 18th c. fabric recreations

p.s. I am unaffiliated with all of these shops. I don’t get any kickbacks for any of these links.