Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft

I love that my local JoAnn Fabric has everything I need! I can never go in for the items on my list because I get inspired by displays, end caps and the staff!!! The seasonal department is so full of amazing garden items from table décor to garden stakes and fairies; all well organized and usually on clearance by mid June! I’m especially geeked that there is always a 40% or more off coupon online! JoAnn offers classes for any craft or sewing project and their area for classes is spacious and inviting. The staff is professional, knowledgeable and eager to help!

Maybe because I grew up going to Michael’s and tend to stick with what I know, I very rarely frequent Joann’s. I just so happened to accompany my roommate on an outing to Joann’s one day when she wanted to pick up some fabric to make a blanket. I happily report that I came away with a very positive impression! When we approached the counter to get our fabric cut, the lady trimmed off the end that looked a LITTLE dirty. I stress the word little… There were also little lint specks throughout our chosen fabric. It seemed to bother her more than it bothered us; she recommended us throwing it in the dryer to remove the excess lint before we work with it. I thought that was cute. =)
I also impulsively picked up a candle jar on our trip. I initially debated if I should proceed with it or not. But my roommate pulled out a Michael’s coupon and said Joann’s take competitor’s coupons! Awesome! And so to the check-​out line I go with my candle.
So would I go to Joann’s more over Michael’s now? I’m not sure. I do like how I know my way around Michael’s much better. But maybe with more frequent outings to Joann’s with my roommate, who seems to prefer Joann’s over Michael’s, I might convert!

A huge store that usually has a great sale hidden if you bring a coupon or come prepared with a smart phone (good that you can use smart phone coupons!).
My lady comes here when she wants to create something, usually in the forms of fleece blankets or framing some creation (of ours or family members). Your typical big craft store, with attentive staff and rolling deals.
Holidays get busy (like every place) and the location of this store is close to other ones you might want to hit like Target, Meijer, Home Depot or Lowes.

Huge Joann’s with a softlines and hardlines so its not just fabric. It has a great location in Yspilanti which is located near a Target and other places to eat. Does get very busy during the holidays and make sure to look out of the coupons before going in!

The 5 stars is in comparison to other Joann’s in the area. Hands down the best one I’ve been to in SE Michigan. I’ve always seen a good number of cashiers on duty and rarely have I seen a long line here (compared to other stores where the lines can be 10 deep).
Awesome stock – I’ve seen things here that I’ve not seen at other stores around town. For example – the cake decorating and confection section could be it’s own store. It’s the biggest section I’ve ever seen. It’s clean, well organized, and I’m always couponed up for great deals. I’m genuinely impressed.
Yes, this is my preferred store for all my crafting needs. For sure.

Joann’s is a national chain that can do things that a small local quilt shop cannot. One of those things is to offer huge discounts (via sales and coupons) on fabric, sewing notions and all sorts of crafting materials.
If you are just starting out quilting or crafting, this is great. You save money. But also be aware that the items offered are not always the highest quality.
For example, when I was starting out with quilting, I bought a lot of fabric at Joann’s – fabric that I now, as an experienced quilter, would not use in my best quilts. The quality is OK for making home dec items, tote bags, purses and quick charity quilts, but certainly not my best hand-​made heirloom quilts.
Once you become more experienced with choosing fabric, you will be able to know with a touch or a close look at the weave whether the quality of the bolt of fabric in your hand is up to the level of your intended project. There actually are some fairly decent bolts of fabric at Joann’s, but they are a small percentage. The beefy Kona solids come to mind. But beware the solids that are not 100% cotton. (They are called Symphony Broadcloth.) The synthetic content makes them harder to work. They also fade from sunlight! The cheaper solids are mixed in with the Konas, arranged by color.
The same with the sewing notions. The quality level of the needles and pins that I use for my hand piecing, hand appliqué and hand quilting projects is not found at Joann’s. I get them elsewhere.
The Fons and Porter quilting notions are fantastic, though I think they are directed at a beginning to intermediate quilter. I actually don’t have much use for most of their tools, but I believe they would make things easier for a newer sewer.
Joann’s definitely has a purpose, and that is to bring hobbyists the materials they need at an affordable price. For a seasoned quilter or crafter, there are still some good deals. You just have to experience the really good «quilt store quality» fabrics and sewing notions to understand whether you might be satisfied with the stuff at Joann’s.

I had a 60% off your custom framing order and decided to try JoAnn etc instead of Michael’s, which I have always used and never had a problem. This was a big mistake. I would have been better off keeping my artworks in a poster frame.
there were 3 frames in my order, they’ve lost part of my antique artwork, chipped the dead center front of my limited edition lithograph and I have had to send 2 of the three frames back twice.
they downgraded the backing thickness on my order the second time it came back. since I was not getting mats they told me that they would add extra bulk to the back of them to make it all more sturdy. the first time I sent them back it was for loose frames, bad centering and junk under the glass. the frames were not only loose but scratched, and someone had tried to fill in some of the scratches with an off color sharpie marker. when they came back the second time, all the was backing them each was a single piece of foamcore and GIANT spacers. the spacers press too hard against it all and have caused some of my artwork to wrinkle. I’d been pressing it in a flat poster frame for 10 years.
I’d have been much better off buying a cheap off the shelf frame in every case.
despite my drawing them a picture the first time I sent the one back, they still can’t understand how to center something. my antique frame was broken as well as part of a family heirloom. I gave up nitpicking and took them home at some point, because it’s like talking to a brick wall.
I have also tried to contact customer service twice, and get no follow up. I used to be an employee of this company and am really dissapointed in the lack of care that’s been taken. I’ll have to take them back to michaels and pay even more money to make them right at this point. Even if they gave me a full refund and offered to fix it for free at this point I would pass.

I think I’ve been a little too harsh on this store previously, especially now that it’s technically called «Joann Etc.» with no mention of fabrics in the name. Sub-​par fabrics aside, there really is a wide selection of craft supplies and a nice section of Wilton baking supplies as well.
Also, they have an incredibly large area of seasonal items – especially for Christmas – and great sales to boot. Today I went in for a couple yards of solid fabrics and ended up with a cart full of Christmas stuff because it was all 60% off!
I would recommend going in when you have some extra time; the fabric cutting line and the checkout line can both get long, especially on the weekends. I lucked out today, and both moved quickly. Also, it tends to get hot in the store, so I stray from wearing extra-​warm items when I know I’ll be shopping there and often leave my coat in the car.

Oh, the fabrics of Joann… always seems like a grand idea– being crafty and creative… then you have to go to Joann’s to get your supplies.
I’m not sure what is it about Joann Fabrics but for some reason it’s always bustling. I feel like I am at the North Pole the night before Christmas and we have a major toy shortage. What is that? Anyway, the staff (or shall I say elves) is always busy assisting another customer– but somehow you are never the one being helped.
Once you pinpoint your supplies, you experience this brief moment of sweet release– but wait. this moment is only oh-​so-​brief.
Now it’s time for the lines. Nikki made a good point– there are never enough cashiers. But I’m convinced it’s not just the cashier shortage that causes this traffic jam at the register– I have come up with a hypothesis: It’s those damn coupons! Seriously people? I know everyone wants a good deal, but to be pawing through the coupon mag at the register to save an extra 3 cents on yarn is absurd– especially when there are customers lined up behind you. Never in my life have I ever seen a place so coupon crazy! And maybe it’s just me, but come on Joann Fabrics, can’t you just evolve into the 21^st century and have the coupon prices ALREADY ring into the register? I mean, really? You’re going to make poor Esther search through her Ziploc baggie of coupons so she can save her 3 cents?! It just doesn’t seem like a very customer friendly process.
So basically by the time I get to the register, I am fuming and THISCLOSE to being pushed completely over the edge and exhausted of any creative juices that were flowing.

I got a really good deal on a winter coat but it required me to replace all of the buttons. So I decided to stop in Joann Fabrics on my way home from Ann Arbor. I picked the right day to stop because they were having a 50% off sale. Great, because those buttons would have cost me $ 20 (which would have cut in on the savings from the coat). I found some really great things I was in need of as well that were on sale.
I finally made my way to the register to notice there were only two cashiers with 7 people in line. Out of nowhere this woman walks right to the front. Some one politely explained there was a line but the cashier kept ringing. So now everyone in the line is pissed. Oh well, glad to have the buttons but the service was terrible and because of that I’ll find some place else to buy my shiny buttons.

I generally prefer to support smaller local stores, but I love this Joann Fabrics. It’s HUGE. There was a Joann in the town I grew up in, but it was about a quarter of the size of this mega-​store.
I’m not a seamstress, but my husband knows his way around a sewing machine. They repaired his sewing machine for a decent fee when he started having problems with it. When he’s here looking for fabric or accessories, I love looking at the gigantic selection of fabrics and then browsing the craft sections.
The store also offers craft classes on a regular basis.

I think this place is luring me back to sewing. While buying $ 5 worth of fabric for a tiny craft project, JoAnn’s also lured me into two really silly garden gnomes made of lightweight resin. What was I thinking? How did this happen? I’ll try to stay away from that aisle when I go back for the next well-​thought-​out project.
It’s a mystery to me: fabric stores are much rarer than they used to be (like there were once fabric stores downtown and at Briarwood but such stores have left the mainstream). I guess cheap Chinese imports make it silly to make one’s actual clothing. There has to be another motivation.