Ribbon Skirt Fabric Kits in Edmonton: Where to Find Everything You Need to Honour the Tradition

This isn’t a neutral guide. I have opinions about where to buy ribbon skirt fabric in Edmonton and why it matters, and you’re getting those alongside the practical information. Where to find ribbon skirt fabric kits in Edmonton and across Alberta. Less hunting, more sewing.

What Is a Ribbon Skirt and Why the Fabric Matters

I saw a woman last spring wearing a ribbon skirt with runners and a hoodie, buying groceries, completely unbothered. That would not have been possible for most of my mother’s lifetime. Ribbon skirts were banned under the Indian Act. People burned them. The fact that she can wear one to the store on a Tuesday without thinking twice about it, that took generations to get back.

So I get impatient when people treat ribbon skirt fabric kits like a craft supply question. It’s not just that. What you make this skirt from is a decision. The print, the colours, whose hands designed it, whose community it represents. That’s all part of what the skirt says when you walk into a room wearing it.

In 2024, Anita Cardinal, a Woodland Cree First Nation lawyer from Alberta, wore her ribbon skirt to her call to the bar. She didn’t wear it because it matched her robe. She wore it because she was making a point about who gets to take up space in those rooms, and the fabric was part of how she made it. 49Dzine Edmonton carries Indigenous-designed prints rooted in First Nations artistic traditions, right here in the city. Walk in, find your fabric, talk to people who understand what you’re making.

What to Look For in Ribbon Skirt Fabric Kits

Most people pick fabric because it looks good. I’ve done it. Pretty is real. But a ribbon skirt is not a throw pillow, and if you’re going to put the time into making one, the design should mean something to you, not just sit nicely against your complexion in the store lighting.

A solid ribbon skirt fabric kit needs base fabric, ribbons in more than one width, elastic, and ideally bias tape and thread. 49Dzine uses cotton poplin. It holds colour after washing, which only matters until you’ve watched a beautiful print go flat and chalky after three washes. You’re wearing this to ceremony. It needs to last.

On ribbons: narrower near the waist so the fabric curves properly, wider near the hem for weight and movement. The 1.5-inch satin is what most makers use. 49Dzine also prints Indigenous designs directly onto their satin ribbon. The ribbon itself carries the design rather than just sitting on top of it.

Why Shop for Ribbon Skirt Fabric in Person at 49Dzine Edmonton

There is something a website cannot replicate. Walking into 49Dzine Edmonton and finding a print that isn’t listed anywhere online. Picking up the fabric and feeling the weight of it. Asking the person behind the counter what other makers have been choosing lately. You leave with something better than what you came for.

Edmonton has an active Indigenous sewing community and 49Dzine is at the centre of it. The store carries designs that reflect the nations of this territory, not just generic patterns pulled from a stock catalogue. That distinction matters when you’re making something that represents who you are.

Can’t make it into the store? 49dzineedmonton.com ships across Canada and to the US. The made-to-order option means older prints are usually still available even if they’ve sold out in store. But if you’re in Edmonton, come in.

What’s in a 49Dzine Ribbon Skirt Fabric Kit

49Dzine kits come with fabric, satin ribbon, and elastic, already coordinated. No second-guessing whether the ribbon reads against the print. You open it and start cutting.

They also carry satin ribbon with Indigenous designs printed directly on it. Most suppliers don’t offer this. It means the ribbon itself carries the story, not just the fabric underneath.

Before you order or buy in store, settle your cut. An A-line is slimmer and more structured, better for ceremony. A box cut has more room and moves better for dancing. The yardage differs. Decide first.

Craft Making Experience Classes at 49Dzine Edmonton

49Dzine Edmonton runs Craft Making Experience classes and I’d recommend them even to people who already know how to sew. The technique is one part. The rest is about making something that connects to where you come from, and that’s a different kind of learning than getting your tension right.

Learning alongside other makers in Edmonton’s Indigenous community is different from watching a tutorial alone at home. You pick up things you don’t even know you’re picking up. Protocol around colour. How experienced makers approach a new design. Why certain choices matter in certain contexts.

Call or check 49dzineedmonton.com for the current class schedule. Spots fill up, especially before National Ribbon Skirt Day on January 4th.

Regional Sourcing Tips for Alberta Makers

Alberta has over 45 First Nations and a Metis Nation with deep roots across the province. Every community carries its own designs, its own protocols, its own visual language. Where you source your fabric is part of the same conversation as making the skirt.

Edmonton: 49Dzine Edmonton is your best in-person option for Indigenous-designed ribbon skirt fabric kits. Walk in or order at 49dzineedmonton.com.

Calgary: Rainy Chief Trading Post carries 49Dzine fabric at their Calgary location. See rctradingpost.com.

Smaller Alberta Communities: Order online from 49dzineedmonton.com. Co-order with other makers to split shipping costs.

Fabricland: Not my first recommendation, but they carry the basics if you’re in a pinch. Pair their base fabric with 49Dzine ribbon for a better result.

Your Skirt, Your Story

Pick fabric that means something. A skirt made from something that matters to you will feel different to wear.

49Dzine Edmonton is open in store and ships online at 49dzineedmonton.com. Come in if you can. That’s where the real conversations happen.

This tradition came back from a lot. Your skirt is part of how it keeps coming back.