Do I get better quality fabric if I buy from a quilt/fabric shop vs Wal-Mart, JoAnn's etc?

Sara in NC

Yes. You do.

In general the answer is yes, but you can find good quality fabrics in the discount type stores. Most of us here say buy the best you can afford and if that happens to be fabrics that are discounted that's okay.

Quilt shop quality is by far the best, Joanns not so much. But someone said it buy the best you can afford.

Rita

This is a never ending discussion that will never be agreed upon. Buy what makes you happy and is within your budget.

Don't stress yourself about it. Quilting is supposed to be fun.

This is a never ending discussion that will never be agreed upon. Buy what makes you happy and is within your budget.

Don't stress yourself about it. Quilting is supposed to be fun.

There are places online you can get discounted quilt shop quality fabric. Thousands of Bolts has many brand name fabrics in the $4-5 dollar range, usually older collections than the current ones your LQS would have. Desperate Quilters has a lot for under $8, newer collections than Thousands of Bolts does. Seawatch Fabrics has the nicer quality Batiks and Asian fabrics at very good prices - usually $2-3 less than quilt shops. Each of these has great customer service and quick shipping. If you find a manufacture you like the fabric quality of, look them up online. You might be able to get what you want at a price you can afford! I buy from many online places and have never been disappointed in any fabric that I've gotten!

I totally agree!!! Buy what you like and can afford!!! Don't make it stressful for yourself!! Kick back and enjoy most of all!!

I find that fabric from the quilt shops is so very soft. I believe that is because it is more loosely woven. They feel just wonderful.

I shop at either Jo Ann's or the LQS. Jo Ann's does carry some really nice fabric in their designer collection. At the same time, I've seen some really thin not-so-good quality fabric at the LQS.

In general, I think that the LQS does have better quality fabric than anywhere else, but you need to discover that for yourself since you could be just as happy with a $7.99 fabric from Jo Ann's as you are with a $10.99 fabric from the LQS.

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.

buy what you can afford and have fun making quilts!

I agree. Buy what looks nice to you, and you can afford.

To quote what Terri said to me when I directed her to a site with Asian prints............"You're evil"

:lol: :-P

I made a quilt years ago using quilt shop quality 100% cotton. Some of the first I ever bought in a quilt shop. I didn't know not to, so I bought a poly cotton blend fabric from a discount store, not Walmart, I think it was a TG&Y store. I mixed the two fabrics together in the quilt. My DD has the quilt and the good fabric is faded, has stretched thin around the seams, and easy to get a tear. The poly cotton still looks as good as it did when I bought it. I like quilt shop quality fabric for the designs and color and the way it feels and I buy it when it's on sale. I also buy a lot of poly cotton at Walmart. I think the poly cotton fabric has somehow gotten a bad rap for no good reason. It feels great and sews great. And it doesn't distort so much when cut.

I had a similar experience with a pieced binding I did on my first quilt. It was a scrap quilt that turned out a little dull so I decided a pieced binding might spice it up. Not knowing any better, I just picked out the colors I needed and bought a mixture of cottons and poly/cotton blends. The cottons all wore through at the fold but the poly/cottons are still intact. I agree, poly/cotton has gotten a bad rap. That little bit of poly adds a lot of durability. I'd consider using it again for binding a quilt that will get a lot of use.

I found a place online called Marshall Dry Goods. They carry name brand quilting fabric at fantastic prices. I haven't ordered from them yet, but I plan to place my next order with them.

Oh, you don't know how true that is! :) :) Actually, I must admit I'm addicted to the nice stuff and the only way I can really afford it is to buy it at a discount. The fabrics I get at those places are the same first quality as the quilt shops. They just aren't the most recent releases. Guess I'm spoiled! LOL

I've got several of the Asian fabrics that I saw there and saw some that made me drool over. I may just have to finish out some of my collections with the coordinates that I saw there!

Ditto here

and here
I try to carefully check the quality, I also check the sales at the LQS, and love to pick through their scrap baskets. I may get my borders and backing at the LQS but really try to get it on sale. I hate to pay retail for backings.

One of my favorite on-line quilt stores is Stitch-N-Frame in Mississippi. They discount everything 15%, will cut in 1/4 yards, and have wonderful Thursday specials every week. Another on-line place where prices are a little lower is Fabric Shack in Ohio. And I've found a good number of fabrics from JoAnn's and Hancock's (before they all closed here).

I buy what appeals to me. I look for good quality fabrics but I can find those at Hancocks, Joanns and my LQS. Quilting should be fun. Don't stress over where you buy your fabric, just keep buying and having fun. :-D

I dunno where you're at in NC, but I have found "good quality" at Wal Mart, Joanne's, and haven't gotten to the LQS which is about 35 miles from me in N Raleigh. The thing is with local stores, you do have to scrutinize the fabric a bit more. I haunt Fabric.com and haven't been disappointed with a piece yet!

I never gave it much thought till now, but why is polly/cotton suppose to be bad? I have always been taught 100% cotton only in quilts, and I just pitched a garbage bag FULL of polly/cotton blends away.So heres a question for you (because I dont know) if you use polly/cotton fabric, can you use cotton quilting thread? Keep in mind I am a hand quilter, and use cotton quilting thread.

Yes, you may find the same prints at Walmart but the LQS has probably purchased the print in a better quality fabric. Our Joanns isn't bad. Some Walmart fabric is really nice too. Our local Walmarts don't have fabric but if I find one that does and something appeals to me I buy it. I learned to stay away from their $1 a yd fabric unless it was marked down to that. The stuff they get in that's originally marked $1 is pretty much junk fabric.

ljsunflower what part of Mississippi are you from? I'm from Hattiesburg

buy what you like I buy from a variety of places and I just love it all. I have gone to thrift stores and bought mens shirts for 50 cents and now am doing a quilt. I bought enough shirts to make about 4 but I'll give them to someone that needs it

Joanns prices have gone up to the same as LQS with not near the selection of the quilt shop.
I shop online most of the time and get great bargains on sale.

i don't really understand all the fuss about polyester and blends in quilts. i made a choice a few years ago to stick to all-cotton, but not because i think poly is "wrong". i just found that cotton is easier to work with. since a wide variety of cotton is available online at prices i can afford (if you're willing to haunt the sale pages) i decided to switch.

it's said (by those who insist on all-cotton, of course :lol: ) that polyester fibres will cause cotton thread to break down sooner. sooner than what? in 500 years vs. 1000?

my guess is that polyester thread might not be as easy to use in hand quilting. i think you'd get more knots and gnarles. if you have some poly or blends left, try a small quilt and use your cotton quilting thread. if it performs well for you, then keep going. if you don't enjoy the experience, then stick with what does give you grins.

Some textile mills put out as high as three different thread counts of the same print!

Lower thread counts go to the discount stores.

I remember looking at flannel at Wal-mart on the $1.00/yd.
table and it looked and felt like printed cheese cloth. :shock:

Bottom line for me is to buy what I can afford but most of all what I like.

YES