Crafts and haberdashery retail covers an enormous range of products — fabric sold by the metre, buttons and ribbons in dozens of colours, embroidery kits, knitting patterns, sewing notions, and craft supplies. Each product type has different variant structures and data requirements. The category has a passionate, detail-oriented customer base that values accurate product information and responsive customer service. Shopify handles this category well with some configuration.

Haberdashery and craft product categories

Fabric: Sold by the metre (custom length). Material composition, width, weight, and washing instructions as key data.
Thread and embroidery floss: Multiple colour variants. Standardised colour codes (DMC, Anchor) important for customers matching existing projects.
Wool and yarn: Colour and weight variants. Needle/hook size recommendations, fibre content, meterage per ball.
Buttons, buckles, and fastenings: Size, material, and colour variants.
Ribbon and lace: Width variants, sold by length (metre or fixed rolls).
Embroidery and cross-stitch kits: Complete kits. Design, size, and colour count.
Knitting and crochet patterns: Physical booklets and downloadable PDFs. Size range and difficulty level.
Sewing patterns: Paper patterns and PDF downloads. Size range and garment type.
Craft kits: Specific project kits (macramé kit, weaving kit, candle making kit). Age range and skill level.

Fabric sold by the metre

Selling fabric by a custom length (e.g. customer orders 2.5m) is not a standard Shopify feature. Approaches:

Fixed length variants: Offer specific lengths (0.5m / 1m / 1.5m / 2m / 3m / 5m). Simple, predictable. Works if most customers buy standard lengths. Loses customers who need odd lengths.
Price per metre × quantity: Set price as "per metre," customer enters quantity as number of metres. Product description states each unit = 1m. Works with standard Shopify without an app.
Custom length app: Fabric — the app by Fabric Store, or Infinite Options with a length input field. Allows any length, calculates total price automatically. More complex to set up.

The "price per metre × quantity" approach is the simplest and most reliable for most fabric stores. Configure the product with "Track quantity" disabled to allow any quantity.

Thread and yarn colour variants

Embroidery thread (DMC, Anchor, Madeira) and knitting wool come in many colours. For DMC embroidery floss alone there are 500+ colours. Options:

One product per colour: Each DMC colour number is its own product. Efficient for search (customers search "DMC 321") but creates a very large product catalogue.
One product per colour family with variants: "DMC Red tones" product with each specific red shade as a variant. Fewer products but colours harder to find individually.
Industry convention: Most serious haberdashery retailers list each thread colour as an individual product — this matches how customers search and how embroidery project lists specify threads by number.

product.metafields.craft.thread_brand = "DMC / Anchor / Madeira / Gütermann"
product.metafields.craft.colour_code = "321"              // standardised code
product.metafields.craft.colour_name = "Red"
product.metafields.craft.thread_weight = "25 / 8 / 5"    // DMC thread weights
product.metafields.craft.strands = "6"                    // divisible into this many strands
product.metafields.craft.metres_per_skein = "8"

Yarn metafields

product.metafields.craft.yarn_weight = "Lace / Fingering / DK / Worsted / Aran / Bulky"
product.metafields.craft.fibre_content = "100% Merino wool / 75% superwash wool 25% nylon"
product.metafields.craft.meterage_per_100g = "400"
product.metafields.craft.needle_size_mm = "3.5-4.0"
product.metafields.craft.hook_size_mm = "4.0-4.5"
product.metafields.craft.ply = "4ply / DK / Aran / Chunky"
product.metafields.craft.machine_washable = "true"
product.metafields.craft.dye_lot = "L241025"            // dye lot for matching skeins

Pattern downloads

Knitting patterns, sewing patterns, and craft instructions sold as PDFs are digital products. Setup after migration:

Set pattern products to "Does not require shipping"
Connect to Shopify Digital Downloads app (free) or SendOwl for file delivery
PDF pattern files are your own intellectual property — host in Shopify Files or your file delivery app's storage

product.metafields.craft.pattern_skill_level = "Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced"
product.metafields.craft.size_range = "XS-XL / 6-18 / Child 2-12"
product.metafields.craft.format = "PDF download / Printed booklet"
product.metafields.craft.gauge_per_10cm = "22 stitches × 28 rows"
product.metafields.craft.needle_size_required = "3.75mm"

Post-migration checklist for crafts and haberdashery stores

Fabric: selling method decided (length variants vs quantity-as-metres) and configured
Thread: colour code and brand as metafields on all thread products
Yarn: weight, fibre content, meterage per 100g, and dye lot as metafields
Pattern downloads: file delivery configured, no shipping required
Embroidery kits: bundle components listed clearly; Shopify Bundles if component stock tracking needed
Colour-coded products: variant colour swatch display configured in theme
Machine washable flag on all yarn and fabric products
Gift certificate/voucher available (popular gift in craft retail)

Migrating a crafts and haberdashery store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)