25 Places to Get Free Fabric Samples by Mail in 2026

There are a bunch of brands that offer free fabric samples by mail.

To get free fabric samples by mail, request swatches directly from home decor retailers like Pottery Barn, Room & Board, or The Shade Store. Most major brands send 5 to 20 swatches with 100% free shipping, arriving at your door in 3 to 10 business days.

I checked 31 popular fabric programs against each company’s official policies to weed out outdated blog claims. And 25 of them send swatches 100% free, while 6 require a small sample fee or charge for shipping.

Read on to see the full breakdown, including how many swatches you can order, shipping details, how long they take to arrive, and local shortcuts to grab free fabric scraps today.

Best Places to Get Free Fabric Samples by Mail

Here’s a comparison table to help you see all the options at a glance:

Brand	Free Swatches	Shipping	Ships In
Pottery Barn	Up to 15	Free	3-5 days
Bassett Furniture	10	Free	7-10 days
Interior Define	Up to 10	Free	2-4 days
Room & Board	20	Free	3-10 days
Crate & Barrel	Up to 10	Free	5-7 days
CB2	Up to 10	Free	5-7 days
Burrow	Up to 5 (extras small fee)	Free	Not published
Article	Up to 10	Free	Not published
Castlery	Up to 3	Free	Not published
West Elm	Up to 12	Free	3-5 days
Rejuvenation	Up to 15	Free	3-5 days
Lovesac	Up to 5	Free	2-3 weeks
Modern Fabrics	4 per week	Free	Up to 4 weeks
Joybird	10-15 (varies by style)	Free	Not published
Maker&Son	8	Free	Not published
Feather & Black	Up to 6	Not published	Not published
Bemz	5	Not published	7-10 days (US), 5-7 days (Intl)
The Shade Store	Unlimited	Free	1-3 days
Half Price Drapes	Up to 5	Free	5-8 days
7th Avenue	1 per color	Free	1-7 days
Blinds.com	Up to 10	Free	Not published
Material Bank	Unlimited (trade only)	Free, overnight	Overnight
Spoonflower Trade	Unlimited (trade only)	Free	Not published
Cozey (Canada)	Up to 8	Free	3 days
Voila Voile	Up to 10	Free (US/UK/AU)	Not published

Free Upholstery Swatches by Mail & Home Decor Fabric Samples

If you’re shopping for a sofa, chair, or sectional, these are some of the best places to get fabric swatches sent to your door.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is a big home decor brand. You can order fabric swatches for its sofas, chairs, and slipcovers before you buy.

• Swatches: Up to 15
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 3-5 business days on average

You don’t need an account. Just pick your fabrics from the online fabric library and add them to your cart.

You can then compare a few different rooms side by side, or test how a color looks in daylight versus lamp light before you buy.

Bassett Furniture

Bassett makes custom furniture with its own range of upholstery and leather fabrics.

You can order samples to see the material in person before choosing one.

• Swatches: 10
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 7-10 days via UPS

Bassett ships most swatch orders via UPS Ground in 7 to 10 days. The one exception is rugs, if a rug sample comes straight from the rug maker instead of Bassett’s own warehouse, it can take up to 14 days.

Interior Define

Interior Define builds custom sofas and sectionals.

You can order up to 10 free swatches from more than 125 fabric options before you choose your upholstery.

• Swatches: Up to 10
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 2-4 business days

With that many fabrics to choose from, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I’d narrow it down to a few colors and textures you’re already leaning toward before ordering, so you’re not trying to compare 10 different swatches on your couch at once.

Room & Board

Room & Board offers one of the largest free swatch limits on this list.

You can order up to 20 fabric and leather samples at once.

• Swatches: 20
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 3-10 business days

That’s enough to lay out an entire room’s worth of options on your coffee table at the same time.

Remember that USPS can take anywhere from 3 to 10 business days, so order early if you’re working toward a deadline.

Crate & Barrel

Crate & Barrel lets you order fabric swatches straight from its site to test against your furniture and walls at home.

• Swatches: Up to 10
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 5-7 business days

You can also book a free appointment with a Design Desk stylist if you’d rather talk through fabric options with a person instead of guessing on your own.

CB2

CB2 is Crate & Barrel’s modern, budget-friendlier sister brand, and it runs the same kind of free swatch program.

• Swatches: Up to 10
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 5-7 business days

If you’re comparing CB2’s velvet or boucle fabrics against Crate & Barrel’s more classic options, order from both at once.

Since they’re sister brands, you can get a solid side-by-side comparison without paying for either set.

Burrow

Burrow makes modular, tool-free sofas and sectionals. You can order fabric and leather swatches to see and feel your options before choosing a couch.

• Swatches: Up to 5, additional swatches cost a small fee
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

The first five give you a good starting point if you’re comparing a few fabrics or leather colors.

If you need more options, you can order extra swatches for a small fee.

Article

Article sells mid-century and Scandinavian-style furniture, including sofas and chairs.

Its swatch form lets you choose up to 10 free fabric samples before you buy.

• Swatches: Up to 10
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

By the way, Article won’t ship swatches to a PO box, so make sure to use a street address.

Castlery

Castlery makes modern furniture with fabrics tested for pilling, water resistance, and wear.

You can order up to 3 free fabric swatches to see how the material feels before choosing a couch.

• Swatches: Up to 3
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

Three is a tight limit if you’re comparing a whole room’s worth of options, so narrow it down to your top contenders before you order.

West Elm

West Elm sells modern furniture and home decor, and it caps free fabric swatches at 12 per order.

• Swatches: Up to 12
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 3-5 business days on average

I filled out West Elm’s swatch form myself and went through checkout to confirm this. The cart tops out at 12 and never asks for payment.

Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation sells heritage-style lighting, hardware, and upholstered furniture. It’ll mail you up to 15 free fabric swatches.

• Swatches: Up to 15
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 3-5 business days

Rejuvenation is West Elm’s sister brand, but its style leans more traditional and heritage-inspired. It’s worth checking if you’re comparing both looks for your home.

Lovesac

Lovesac makes modular sectionals and beanbag-style Sacs. You can order fabric swatches to see and feel the material before buying.

• Swatches: Up to 5
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 2-3 weeks

The main thing to keep in mind is the wait. If you need the swatches for a furniture purchase soon, order them early.

Lovesac ships swatches through standard U.S. mail, so it may take 2 to 3 weeks for your samples to arrive.

Modern Fabrics

Modern Fabrics sells leftover cuts of high-end designer upholstery fabric at a discount.

It’s a good option if you’re looking for designer fabric without paying full price.

• Swatches: Up to 4 per week
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Up to 4 weeks

Modern Fabrics sends swatches by USPS once a week in a plain yellow envelope. So if you want to compare more than 4 fabrics, spread your requests out over a few weeks, or narrow your list down before you order.

Joybird

Joybird makes mid-century modern furniture.

• Swatches: 10-15, depending on style
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

Joybird only ships swatch kits to the contiguous U.S. That means Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico are excluded.

I couldn’t find any information on their official site on how long the delivery takes. so keep that in mind especially if you need the samples by a certain date.

Maker&Son (Free Linen & Corduroy Fabric Samples)

Maker&Son is a UK-founded furniture brand now selling in the U.S., known for linen and corduroy upholstery in a wide range of colors.

• Swatches: 8 per pack
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

Eight samples is enough to compare a handful of colors in the same fabric family. If none of them work for your space, you can request another pack instead of being stuck with just one shot.

Feather & Black (Free Fabric or Wood Samples)

Feather & Black sells bedroom furniture and bedding. You can order fabric and wood finish samples to see your options before buying.

• Swatches: Up to 6
• Shipping: Not published
• Ships in: Not published

The six-sample limit applies to both fabric and wood finishes. You can mix the two, so you could order four fabric samples and two wood finishes for the same piece.

Bemz (Free Slipcover Fabric Samples)

Bemz makes custom slipcovers for IKEA furniture. You can order free fabric samples to check the color and texture before covering your couch.

• Swatches: 5
• Shipping: Not published
• Ships in: 7-10 working days (US), 5-7 working days (UK/international)

Bemz packs swatch orders within 24 hours, according to its help center.

US orders usually arrive in 7 to 10 working days. UK and other international orders take 5 to 7 working days.

Free Curtain, Drapery & Window Treatment Swatches

Need fabric for curtains or shades?

These companies let you see the color and texture at home before you order.

The Shade Store

The Shade Store sells custom drapery, Roman shades, and blinds.

It’s the only consumer-facing brand on this list with no limit on how many free swatches you can order.

• Swatches: Unlimited, 1,200+ materials in stock
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 1-3 business days

With over 1,200 materials in stock, you could spend hours picking swatches if you let yourself. Start with the room you’re decorating, narrow it to 5 or 6 favorites, then order those instead of trying to test everything at once.

Half Price Drapes

Half Price Drapes sells discounted curtains and drapes.

You can order free fabric swatches to check the color and texture before buying full panels.

• Swatches: Up to 5
• Shipping: Free, USPS First Class
• Ships in: 5-8 business days after shipment

If you need more than 5 samples, you can add extras for $0.99 each, which is cheap enough that it’s still worth it if you’re comparing a lot of colors for a big window.

7th Avenue

7th Avenue sells curtains and home textiles, and it ships free fabric swatches to anyone in the contiguous U.S.

• Swatches: 1 per color, due to high demand
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 1-7 business days once shipped, varies by location

There are a few shipping limits to know about. 7th Avenue does not ship to PO boxes, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.

My personal experience

I requested six colors from 7th Avenue myself: Alabaster White, Snow White, Natural White, Grey Beige, and two Performance Velvets in Pearl Grey and Navy Blue.

FedEx dropped the envelope at my door about 48 hours later. I paid nothing for the swatches and nothing for shipping.

The one-per-color rule isn’t a cap on how many swatches you can order. It just means you get a single piece of each color you pick, so ask for six different colors and you get six swatches.

Each one arrived labeled with its color name inside a flat black folder, which makes it easy to hold them against your wall or your couch without losing track of which is which.

Blinds.com

Blinds.com sells blinds, shades, shutters, and curtains.

• Swatches: Up to 10
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

Blinds.com carries hundreds of brands and materials. If you already have a window treatment in mind, open its product page and order the samples from there instead of searching for a separate swatch request form.

Free Trade & Commercial Fabric Samples for Designers

Designers have access to some options that regular shoppers don’t, including trade-only sample programs with much larger selections.

Material Bank (Free Overnight Swatches for Design Pros)

Material Bank is a swatch-ordering platform for interior designers and architects.

It carries samples from major commercial brands like Maharam, DesignTex, and Kravet and sends them straight to your door for free.

• Swatches: Unlimited, trade professionals only
• Shipping: Free, overnight
• Ships in: Overnight

You’ll need a company email or other business proof to get approved.

Design students and faculty can sign up through Material Bank’s university program, but student accounts only provide curriculum access and can’t be used to order swatches.

If you’re not working in the design industry, this one isn’t for you, but if you are (or know someone who is, lol), it’s one of the best free resources out there.

Spoonflower Trade (Free 8″x8″ Trade Swatches)

Spoonflower is a good option for design pros who need custom fabric or wallpaper samples.

Its Trade Program includes free, unlimited fabric swatches in a larger 8-inch by 8-inch size.

• Swatches: Unlimited 8″x8″ fabric, 12″x24″ wallpaper, trade only
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

You’ll need a business card, business license, or trade association membership, plus a portfolio link, to apply. Approval takes 48 to 72 hours.

If you’re ordering as a regular customer instead of through a trade account, Spoonflower’s retail swatches aren’t free.

Free Fabric Samples Outside the US

If you’re outside the U.S., these options can save you from dealing with U.S.-only sample programs that won’t ship to you.

Cozey

Cozey is a Canadian furniture brand, and it’s one of the few options on this list built specifically for Canadian shoppers.

• Swatches: Up to 8
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 3 business days

Cozey ships fast for a free program. Most swatch boxes arrive within 3 business days across Canada.

Voila Voile

If you’re looking for custom drapery samples outside the usual U.S.-only options, Voila Voile ships to several countries around the world.

• Swatches: Up to 10 per customer
• Shipping: Free for Australia, the UK, and the USA
• Ships in: Not published

Outside those three countries, you’ll pay a small postage fee: about $0.95 USD for Canada, €0.95 for Europe, AUD $1.95 for New Zealand, and £2.95 for everywhere else.

Need more than 10 samples? Reach out through live chat or email, larger requests carry an extra fee.

Where to Buy Cheap Fabric Samples

Free fabric samples are great, but you can’t always find the type of fabric you need for free.

A few years ago, I got into sewing myself, mostly to fix my own clothes. I picked up a Brother XM2701 for $149 to get started.

Once you start sewing, you go through fabric fast, lol. So I started looking for cheaper fabric samples from places like these to save money.

Here are a few places worth checking, especially if you’re looking for upholstery, garment, or bedding fabric.

Revolution Fabrics

Revolution Fabrics specializes in stain-resistant, pet-friendly performance fabric, the kind of material built to survive kids, dogs, and spilled wine.

• Swatches: $2.00 each
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: 5-7 business days via USPS

Revolution Fabrics’ site used to run a free-swatch promo code, but its current FAQ page doesn’t mention one. $2 a swatch with free shipping is what it actually charges now.

Calico

Calico sells drapes, shades, and upholstery fabric.

• Swatches: $1.95 each, one per style
• Shipping: Free
• Ships in: Not published

If you live near a physical Calico store, there’s a genuinely free option: its Fabric Approval Plan lets you borrow a full-size sample for 2 days before you buy, no charge.

Folio Fabrics

Folio Fabrics, formerly known as DiscountedDesignerFabrics.com, charges $2 per sample instead of giving them away.

• Swatches: $2 each, no quantity limit
• Shipping: Free, USPS First Class
• Ships in: About 5 business days

The $2 isn’t wasted money. It gets credited back toward a future yardage purchase.

Folio also runs an occasional “10 Free Snips” promo on select fabrics, so it’s worth checking their site before you order in case one’s running.

Mood Fabrics

Mood Fabrics, the fabric house made famous by Project Runway, uses a reward system for free swatches rather than giving them away upfront.

• Swatches: $1.50 each, earn 1 free per $10 spent, up to 5 free per order
• Shipping: Standard rates apply
• Ships in: Not published

Spend $50 and you can earn the maximum five free swatches. Just note that only the $1.50 swatches count toward the free swatch program. The $5 swatches don’t qualify.

Zelouf Fabrics

If you’re looking for garment fabric, Zelouf Fabrics lets you order a free swatch. The catch is that you’ll pay $9.99 for shipping unless your order reaches $99.99.

• Swatches: Not published
• Shipping: $9.99 under $99, free at $99.99+
• Ships in: 3-10 business days

That $9.99 shipping fee applies to orders under $99 in the 48 contiguous states. Zelouf also ships to all 50 states, plus the UK and Canada. International orders may have customs fees or duties.

PeachSkinSheets

PeachSkinSheets sells peach-textured bedding.

It doesn’t charge for the color swatches themselves, up to 9 per order from 34 colors, but standard shipping rates apply since swatch orders don’t qualify for the site’s $150+ free-shipping threshold.

• Swatches: Up to 9, 34 colors to choose from
• Shipping: Standard rates apply
• Ships in: Not published

You can pick up to 9 colors from its 34-color selection. Just remember that sample orders don’t qualify for the site’s $150 free-shipping threshold.

How to Get Free Fabric Swatches Near Me

Mail-order swatches take days, sometimes weeks.

If you need something today, skip the shipping and go local instead.

I also hit up local thrift stores near me like Goodwill when I need fabric fast. It’s not free, but I have bought yards of it for just a few bucks.

Here’s where to find the genuinely free stuff first:

Furniture Showrooms and Design Desks

Walk into any furniture store that carries the brands above, like Pottery Barn, Room & Board, or Crate & Barrel, and ask if they have leftover swatch cards from a discontinued fabric line. Employees often can’t sell them, but they can usually just hand them over.

Craft and Fabric Chain Stores

Stores like JOANN and Hobby Lobby cut fabric off the bolt for customers all day, which means small scraps pile up in the cutting area.

Ask an employee if they set aside end cuts. Some stores keep a scrap bin, others will cut you a small piece for free if you ask nicely.

Independent Upholstery and Drapery Shops

Small, independent upholstery shops often carry sample binders for fabric lines they no longer stock.

Once a line is discontinued, that binder is basically useless to them, so they’ll often give away pages or whole books if you just ask.

Quilting Guilds and Buy Nothing Fabric Swaps

Search Facebook for a Buy Nothing group in your area, or look for a local fiber arts or quilting guild.

Quilters and crafters constantly clear out fabric scraps they’ll never use, and a lot of it gets posted for free on Craigslist’s free stuff section or a Buy Nothing group instead of thrown away.

I found free jean patches through my local Buy Nothing group in Florissant when I needed to patch a couple pairs of my own jeans.

My best find came from a stranger’s garage sale though. I stopped by because she had an old Singer sewing machine listed, and it turned out not to be what I was looking for, so I didn’t buy it. But once she found out I sew, she couldn’t get over it, she kept saying she’d never met a straight guy who sewed his own clothes.

By the time I left, she’d loaded me up with a whole bag of colorful fabric scraps for free, just because she got such a kick out of it.

How to Test a Free Fabric Swatch Before You Buy

A free swatch is only useful if you actually test it before committing to a full order.

Here’s how to put one through its paces at home.

The spill test

Put a few drops of water or wine on the fabric. If they bead up, the fabric may have some stain resistance.

If the liquid soaks right in, you’ll want to think twice about using it on a busy sofa or dining chair.

For performance fabrics, check whether the brand mentions treatments or names like Crypton or Sunbrella.

The scratch test

Run a key or zipper pull across the fabric and check for snags, loose threads, or pilling. If you have pets, pay extra attention to the weave.

I learned this one the hard way. I had three German Shepherds, and I’ve gone through so many couch covers over the years that I can’t even count them. And honestly, if your pets have long claws and love to scratch, it may not matter much what fabric you choose. Sometimes they’ll tear it apart anyway, just like my babies used to do.

The lighting test

Tape the swatch to the wall where you’ll use the fabric. Check it in the morning, afternoon, and at night under your lamps.

Fabric colors can look very different in natural and artificial light. Testing the swatch first can help you avoid an expensive color mismatch.

Pro tip:

If the manufacturer lists a Martindale rating or double rub count, check that number before buying. These ratings can give you a better idea of how well a fabric handles regular use.

A higher rating generally means the fabric can withstand more rubbing before showing wear.

What to Do With Leftover Fabric Swatches

Don’t toss those little fabric samples once you’re done comparing them.

They can be handy for small sewing projects, crafts, and even keeping track of colors for your next home project.

Plus, plenty of DIY crafts you can sell start with scraps this exact size.

• Quilt blocks: Even a small scrap quilt needs dozens of squares, and swatches are already cut close to size.
• Coasters: A swatch plus a scrap of felt backing makes a quick, durable coaster.
• Doll clothes: Swatches are close to the right scale for miniature sewing projects.
• Scrap journals or fabric collage art: Glue or sew swatches into a journal for texture and color reference.
• A DIY swatch ring: Punch a hole in each sample and clip them onto a key ring so you can carry your color palette with you the next time you’re shopping for paint or furniture.

FAQ

Which brands offer free fabric samples with free shipping?

Most of the brands on this list, including Pottery Barn, Room & Board, The Shade Store, and Material Bank, cover shipping along with the samples themselves, so nothing on your card at all. A few, like Zelouf Fabrics and PeachSkinSheets, only waive shipping once your order hits a certain dollar amount, which for a swatch-only order usually means you’re paying it. If free shipping matters beyond just fabric, I’ve got a running list of free stuff that ships for free too.

How big are free fabric swatches?

Most run 2 inches by 2 inches up to 4 by 4 inches. Trade sources tend to run larger, Spoonflower’s trade swatches are 8 by 8 inches, closer to what’s called a memo sample.

How many free fabric swatches can I order at once, across different sites?

There’s no rule stopping you from ordering from multiple brands on the same day. Each company only limits what you can request from them individually, Room & Board caps you at 20, Lovesac at 5, and so on. Order from a handful of brands and you can easily end up with 50 or more samples in a week.

Do any of these require a purchase or subscription to get the free samples?

No. Every brand in the free sections above ships samples with no purchase required and no survey to fill out first, the same as other free samples without surveys. Mood Fabrics is the one exception: its free swatches are earned by spending money first, so they’re not available to a first-time visitor with an empty cart.

Does Joann or Hobby Lobby give out free fabric samples?

Not officially. Neither publishes a free swatch program. Your best shot is asking an employee at the cutting counter if they have any scrap end-cuts they’re willing to give away. Some stores do this informally, it’s just not a published policy.

Is Spoonflower fabric free?

Only through its Trade Program, which is limited to approved design professionals. Retail customers ordering as regular shoppers pay for Spoonflower swatches like any other product on the site.

Can I get free samples for sewing or apparel fabric, not just home decor?

Not fully free, no. Zelouf Fabrics and PeachSkinSheets are the closest thing to true garment fabric on this list, but both charge for shipping even though the swatch itself is free. Bemz ships free swatches too, but that’s slipcover fabric for furniture, more of a home decor pick than something you’d sew into clothes.

Where can I find free fabric scraps for quilting?

Brand swatches are usually too small for quilting, so look local instead. A Buy Nothing group or a local quilting guild is the best source, quilters constantly clear out fabric they’ll never use. JOANN and Hobby Lobby will sometimes hand over end cuts from the bolt if you ask at the cutting counter. And once you’ve ordered swatches from the brands above, save the leftovers, they’re already cut close to quilt-block size.

How I Checked Every Brand on This List

All the information above came from each brand’s own official site, not from another blog’s roundup. I read the swatch order page itself, then checked the shipping and FAQ pages for anything the order page left out, like delivery time or whether shipping stays free past a certain order size.

For several of these, including West Elm and Rejuvenation, I filled out the swatch request forms myself and went through checkout to see what actually happens. That’s how I confirmed West Elm caps free swatches at 12 and never asks for payment, not from a marketing page that could be outdated.

With 7th Avenue I went one step further and placed a real order for six colors. FedEx delivered them about 48 hours later, and I was charged nothing for the swatches or the shipping.

Swatch programs change often, and not always with an announcement. A brand can cut its free swatch limit from 10 to 5, or start charging for shipping it used to cover, without updating the page anywhere obvious. If a program above looks different by the time you order, that’s the policy changing, not an error in this list.

Get Free Fabric Samples Before You Spend a Dime

With all these free fabric sample options, you can see and feel the fabric before spending money on a couch, curtains, upholstery, or your next sewing project.

Here’s where I’d start:

Furnishing a room?

• Start with the highest swatch counts: Room & Board (20), Pottery Barn (up to 15), and The Shade Store (unlimited). Still need the furniture itself? Here’s how to get free furniture before you buy anything new.

Working as a design professional?

• Skip regular retail samples and check Material Bank or Spoonflower Trade for trade-only options.

Sewing or working with apparel fabric?

• Check Zelouf Fabrics and PeachSkinSheets for more apparel-friendly options. You’ll pay shipping, but they can be worth it when you need a specific fabric. For free scraps, try a local Buy Nothing group or quilting guild.

Knit or crochet instead?

• Free yarn can help there, too.

Need fabric today?

• Check local furniture showrooms, upholstery shops, and fabric stores for leftover swatches and scraps before waiting for the mail.

Whichever route you take, getting a fabric swatch first can save you from an expensive mistake. And now you know exactly where to get free fabric samples and how to put them to use before you buy.