Ask CRAFT: Sourcing Freezer Paper and Other Supplies

Craft & Design

If you have a question for Ask CRAFT, shoot me an email at becky@craftzine.com, or drop us a note on Twitter! We’d love to answer your crafty questions on any topic: technique, projects, crafty culture, or anything else! Each week the answers are here; include your name, where you’re from, and your website or blog if you have one!

Merissa writes in:

I’ve been looking everywhere for freezer paper, and I can’t seem to find it. I’ve looked in local grocery stores, Walmart, Target, JoAnn Fabrics, and Michael’s and none of them have it. Where else should I try to find it?

Freezer paper is great for making stenciled designs on t-shirts, but where you find it? Online. Whenever anybody asks me where to get something, I always look online first to see where the item gets categorized by retail establishment. Freezer paper isn’t mainly used for crafts, so looking I’m not surprised it wasn’t at Michael’s or JoAnn’s. I usually shop on Google Product Search or Amazon just to see where I can get something, then go from there. When I searched for freezer paper, the top results came from Ace Hardware. See, many brick and mortar stores list their items online, so even if you don’t want to order online you can still get an idea of where to look before leaving the house. So check your local Ace, but you may want to call ahead. From there, I thought, “Oh, if they have it at Ace, maybe Home Depot or Lowe’s carries it.” No dice. Going into a big store like that without being sure they even carry the item you’re looking for can be frustrating, especially if you ask an employee and he/she looks at you like you have six heads.

Where do you buy your freezer paper and other hard-to-find crafting supplies? Post up your feedback in the comments.

More:

64 thoughts on “Ask CRAFT: Sourcing Freezer Paper and Other Supplies

  1. Roda says:

    I, too, have never had any luck finding freezer paper in an old brick and mortar place. (I did find tiny bit of “cheese wrapping” at Cowgirl Creamery in SF, CA. It was glorified freezer paper, about ten small sheets for around $6. No thanks!)

  2. Rachel Hobson says:

    I found it at my local grocery store (here in Austin – it was at HEB) but it was kind of hiding. It took some digging between all the foil and wax paper, but it was there! It was even in the less-expensive store brand version! Woo! I bought a giant roll so I wouldn’t run out … soon. ;)

  3. DebbieKL says:

    I bought a big roll of freezer paper at Walmart last year in the aisle with plastic wrap, foil, etc.

  4. sarah says:

    i found mine at our super walmart, with the foil and plastic wrap. but, there was only one brand, and one very large box.

  5. Marie says:

    I did find freezer paper, but I was reluctant to buy it because it was “new and improved” with plastic instead of wax. Would making stencils for fabric still work with this version?

  6. Eglentyne says:

    Here in Coastal Texas, I also found mine at the HEB Grocery store, with the plastic wrap and foil.

  7. Beth says:

    I found freezer paper at Shoprite here in New Jersey. I was so suprised to see it there considering it seems to be hard to find. I would love to see Craft post some stencils, because I have yet to use any.

  8. Kaye says:

    I found freezer paper at a local grocery chain. I had looked in two other big supermarkets and Walmart before I eventually found it. I’m really happy that I did find it though. Stencilling with freezer paper is SO easy and satisfying!! I’ve used this technique on so many shirts, skirts, bags…you name it, its got a stencil on it!

  9. rosebengal says:

    Both of my local big grocery stores carry Reynolds brand freezer paper (Safeway and Fred Meyer(Kroger)) but the trick seems to be that it isn’t in the tinfoil/clingwrap section. Instead it tends to be shelved (high or low) in the baking section where the canning goods are located – look for Ball or Mason jars and pectin and you should find big rolls of freezer paper around.
    A note that the local fabric warehouse carries small packs of 8X11 sheets of freezer paper for some outrageous cost compared to a roll of freezer paper…
    Good luck.

  10. Kara says:

    Actually, I have no trouble finding freezer paper at WalMart right next to the aluminum foil and parchment paper, usually on the bottom shelf. And even though it’s the “new improved” plastic coated kind, it works perfectly for stencils and seems to hold up better than the waxed kind. It’s definitely easier to cut! I have also found freezer paper at our local grocery chain and the local butcher shop; the butcher will sell me whole huge rolls. You might ask your local grocery to carry it, or check the deli to see if they use it and would sell you some.

  11. Missy Ann says:

    Like the posters above I can find it at my local grocery stores.
    But since you aren’t having any luck at yours, try your local quilt shops. They usually stock it. Granted it’ll be the expensive 8-1/2 x 11″ flat sheets that are produced to go through ink jet (never ever laser jets!!!!!) printers. Same exact stuff that comes on a roll.

  12. Christy says:

    I found an ENORMOUS roll at Fred Meyer (NW US), which is also owned by Kroger’s.

  13. Anonymous says:

    I have purchased rolls from Hardware Hank. I found it in their kitchen section.

  14. Fanny says:

    I found freezer paper at Lucky’s (formerly Albertson’s).

  15. Zero says:

    Well, living in Oz, I’ve found it difficult to locate this freezer paper thing. To be honest, though, I hear it’s finicky at best and difficult to work with.
    When I’m doing tshirt stencils, I just use regular copy paper, cut my stencil out (which I conveniently printed straight onto it), and then spray the back lightly with spray adhesive (the kind artists use to mount things). It’s cheap, and fixes the stencil neatly. It doesn’t leave any residue, and even if it did it’d wash out nicely. Plus you can peel it and reposition it if you like.
    So hey, if you can’t find freezer paper, try that instead.

  16. liz says:

    I didn’t want to commit to an entire $7 roll of freezer paper having never tried it before, so I asked the butcher in the grocery store for a square of it. He gave me some for free and it was just the right size for what I needed (plus some).

  17. Kristin says:

    Just saw some tonight at a Super Walmart in Wisconsin, right between the aluminum foil and the Ziploc bags. One brand in a large box, plastic coated. Based upon some other posters luck with Walmart, I bet you could find it in any Super Walmart in the US.

  18. evylynn says:

    I just bought freezer paper on Alice.com–which other than being a place to buy freezer paper, is also a great place to buy household goods at a reasonable price–with free shipping. I found it accidentally…I searched for “parchment paper” which they didn’t have–but I decided to get the freezer paper instead.

  19. Mimi says:

    I have to say that I’m surprised that CRAFT is recommending getting freezer paper online from a place like Amazon when just a few posts later you make a big to-do about buying fabrics at indepentant stores lest they go out of business. I live in a little town where most indepentant anything is difficult but not nearly impossible to find.
    I found freezer paper by accident at a local Albertsons and snapped it up because I sell baked goods during the holidays. It was only after that I found out about it’s crafty, crafty ways! Thing is, I know that most of the locally owned grocers in my area are thrilled (thrilled I tells ya) to get in most anything that you can request. I work at an independant bookstore and we’re the same way. If we can order it we will and we don’t charge either!(BTW, the location is in the title practically! FREEZER PAPER implies food storage… where do you find food storage? Certainly, not at Michael’s.)
    So, please if you’re looking for something like this ask at your local store (the asking the butcher for a free piece is brilliant!) and don’t go looking for it at Amazon (which will charge shipping and it’s just silly to order it from them) or a place like WalMart (where local independants lose out). Just check out where people get things for baking and food storage. Easy as pie!

  20. Amy says:

    The blog entry doesn’t recommend buying the freezer paper online; it’s a suggestion for how to figure out what stores might stock it. Many grocery stores don’t carry it, and given that various sewing techniques use it I’m sort of surprised it’s not at Joann’s.

  21. Gigi says:

    I found some freezer paper with the canning stuff at my local all purpose store. You might want to check out the section that has canning jars, lids, pots, etc…

  22. dleija says:

    The first time I found freezer paper was at an unclaimed freight store of all places! My mom wanted to see what this place had: food and kitchen items, clothes, furniture, etc.
    When I use it for stenciling, I cut a rectangle slightly smaller than what I can fit through my printer and tape it to a transparency or cardstock sheet for stability. Then I print my design on it (placed in the center), sometimes with a border if I need help with placement. When I iron it onto the shirt, I have to test my heat settings. Too hot and the paper will be really hard to peel, not hot enough and the paper will peel too easily and cause “bleeding”. I recommend painting with a sponge brush or roller. At first I tried using brushes but that only caused the paint to be forced and saturate into the fabric under the stencil, thus the “bleeding” problems. I might even recommend applying the paint in coats rather than globbing on a bunch of paint at one time, because that might cause “bleeding” too.

  23. Allie says:

    I found mine at a local Walmart too. A lady stocking that aisle pointed me to it and said they just started carrying it at that store since they were getting so many customers asking for it. I’ve seen it at other grocery stores too.. it seems like a year ago it was nowhere to be found. But now it’s getting stocked onto more shelves!
    It’s got the same look as Reynold’s Wrap but says Freezer Paper instead. On the side of the box, there’s a tip saying it could be used for crafts such as quilting or appliques. Did they read our minds? We’re not really using this stuff for storing meat in our freezer, lol!
    Good luck finding some. :)

  24. MYOHO VIE says:

    i always got it from a meat market. Were they wrap up you meat.

  25. Shoshanna Mara says:

    I find my rolls at Raley’s in NorCal, which is also called Bel Air and Nob Hill elsewhere. I believe it’s in the baking aisle, usually on a very high or very low shelf. If you get the gigantic roll, you will eventually use it up. It’s great for stabilizing fabric for any purpose.

  26. Sarah says:

    You should be able to get freezer paper at any major grocery store. Most likely in the same aisle where you find your Reynolds wrap or aluminum foil.

  27. king of the jungle says:

    any ideas, where to get freezer paper here in europe? i did not manage to find some in the last years…

  28. Leareth says:

    One thing to remember is that some stores only stock it seasonally around hunting season.
    The Fred Meyers I used to shop at (in Alaska) only stocked it and canning goods in late summer and fall.
    However the local Ace hardware stores (both here in Montana and home in Alaska) always seem to have it in stock.

  29. norarachel says:

    Freezer paper is available at my local grocery store, and I have seen it (as a HUGE roll) at Costco.

  30. Cheri says:

    I mentioned my hunt for freezer paper at a party of some sort (birthday? BBQ?). Then a friend called me from a local Safeway (that I never shop at) to tell me she found a roll near the plastic wrap and tinfoil. So, just get the word out there… She was very happy to be the one to find it!

  31. Mlle Macaron says:

    Found it in Montreal in Jean Coutu Pharmacy in front of the Snowdon metro station

  32. Grady Lizana eadz says:

    Top calibre and insouciant boots. ?I literally use it as my responsibility boots. Fits the laptop and a bunch of other crap famed!

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Becky Stern is a Content Creator at Autodesk/Instructables, and part time faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts Products of Design grad program. Making and sharing are her two biggest passions, and she's created hundreds of free online DIY tutorials and videos, mostly about technology and its intersection with crafts. Find her @bekathwia on YouTube/Twitter/Instagram.

View more articles by Becky Stern

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK