We have some quilters who shop at Thrift stores and use recycled clothing. As the others have said, whatever you can afford and whatever makes you happy.

Buy what you like and what feels nice. If is is pretty, but feels like it will fall apart after a couple of washes, maybe it will. I would not want to take that chance.

Before I buy anywhere, I rub a single layer of the fabric between my fingers to see if I like it. I used to think that I just "had to have" a certain piece of fabric, even if it did not past muster. Know what? I don't even remember what they looked like anymore!

Everything has some "quality" to it -

The difference being what KIND of "quality" -

poor, fair, good, excellent, etc.

Experience really does seem to be the best teacher for determining what is "good" for a particular use.

And what is appropriate for one use may or may not be appropriate for another.

Extreme example: Cheesecloth is great for straining juices when making jelly. A 1000 thread count sheet would not work well.

And it's one of those things that you may change your mind on over time. I used to use Wal-Mart fabric all the time; I couldn't tell much difference. But as I have used more quilt-shop fabrics, I notice the difference more, and I am beginning to be pickier about what I use.

You can find quality fabrics if you look for them. I guess it depends on how much money you want to spend on fabric.
I just found cotton fabric on clearance at a couple of WalMarts while on vacation. Good stuff & a great price!

I agree with the rest! Buy what you can afford, as you get more experience, you'll change what ever doesn't work for you any longer.
I used to look only at the price of fabric when I first started quilting,I never threw anything away; some of it didn't really make me happy while I was working with it, or it didn't perform how I thought it should after it was quilted... these days when I bump into something from my stash that is a poorer quality, I get rid of it.

And washing fabric really does help "tell the tale" of how a fabric will behave.

I have seen fabric at Walmart & Marshalls for 3.00 or less that I have seen at QS for 8.95 or more. In my opinion its the same fabric and same quality. You just have to buy what you can afford. If your happy with it who cares what the rest of the world thinks. :wink:

I feel that it's not the cost of the fabric that matters. It's what you do with it. I buy a lot of discount material that has worked well and lasted thru the years as beautiful quilts. But what works for you! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Walmart has some fabric that feels crappy, and some that feels so durn soft! I like to feel my fabric, and you can tell a lof about its' quality by it's feel.