What I mean is - does it matter if you buy your fabric at Wal-mart vs a quilt shop? I'm not trying to be a snob - I was just thinking about all the work that goes into a quilt and if typically quilt-store fabric is of a better quality (and hence will be more durable) - or not?

It's not necessarily so. However, what I have noticed about Walmart fabric is that often the "hand" is not very nice. The fabric is often stiffer and not as closely woven as quilt shop fabrics. Also, the patterns are often very slightly misprinted and the colors are often not exactly right.

Theoretically, at least, quilt shop fabrics -- even if the pattern is the same -- are made out of a better "griege" with more attention given to exact colors and exact pattern placements (so you don't get a slightly smudgey look from one color not having been aligned perfectly with existing colors). They are also supposed to have been given additional chemical baths or treatments to soften the "hand" of the fabric and to protect against fading from sunlight (although that protection is gone once the fabric is washed).

However, buying from a quilt shop is not a guarantee of getting higher quality fabric, and sometimes Walmart is able to purchase lots of higher quality fabrics at a huge discount. I have seen some of the same fabrics in both places where the difference in quality was pretty obvious, but I have also seen the same fabrics in both places where it seemed as if the Walmart fabric was exactly the same quality as the quilt shop fabric that cost two or three times as much.

In general, though, I have found that the patterns in Walmart fabric are not nearly as sophisticated as those I find in quilt stores, and that the hand of Walmart fabrics is usually not as fine. If you practice looking closely at the fabrics and touching them, you learn to see the differences pretty quickly. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Walmart fabric, though, if it met my criteria for color, pattern and feel.

Thank you - that answered it perfectly! :D

Actually...there is a difference...

Wal-mart fabric is called first run fabric..lower thread count and designs are painted on and since it is lower thread count they starch their fabric to hold up until you wash it...doesn't wash up well and shrinks more.

JOanns and Hancocks is called 2nd run fabric..a little higher thread count and colored a bit better...doesn't shrink as much as wal-mart fabric.

Designers get limited amount of fabric press time so they will do their first and second runs on these fabrics and then change what they want to change for third run fabrics ...

Third run fabrics are quilt quality fabric..fabrics sold at your LQS. These fabrics have a higher thread count, are dyed not painted and they have minimal shrinkage. Hope that helps you.

Wow - you guys are an amazing source of info!

i buy waaaaaaaaaaaay too much fabric from a variety of sources. having bought tons so far, a few facts have proven themselves time and time again.

true: better selections from the shops, whether in-person or online.
true: fabs from the shops usually feel fancier and finer straight off the bolt.
true: le shops usually cut more accurately.
true: the fabrics most likely to shrink and/or bleed have consistently been those from "high-end" quilt shops. i never worried and prewashed until i started buying the pricier stuff. go figure. :roll:

i paid $9 per yard for a metallic once. by the second washing, half the metallic has sloughed off. :?

true: once they're washed, from the back, it's often hard to tell the difference between the pricey fabs and the less expensive ones.

true: i don't expect to be around 1 or 2 hundred years from now, so couldn't care less whether or not my work ends up in a museum.

buy what you like and what you can afford.

You may notice a difference in the piecing stage if you mix the lesser quality with the good stuff. I had one print that I got at Walmart that was a perfect match for a quilt I was making. It didn't feel as nice but the color was perfect so I used it. Everytime I got to a section with that fabric, it stretched and distorted a bit more than the other fabrics. I had to ease a lot of fullness in on that one print. It wasn't as noticeable by the time I got through, but I hated handling it. It would have been even worse if I had a different pattern with more triangles. Luckily most of mine was squares and I didn't have to handle it too much. I haven't bought any fabric at Walmart since that experience.

Once you get to know the quality of a particular manufacturer, you can shop online and get a decent price. I have bought the same names/quality online for $4-7/yd that I can get in the quilt shop for $8-10. I still buy at the shops too. I try to spread my business around a bit. I like them all and would hate to see any of them go out of business. :D

This is what I like about the Board there are no fabric snobs here. No insisting we buy at an expensive store when we can get what we like at less expensive stores.
I don't have an LQS near me so I usually buy at Joann's or online.

I make a lot of utility quilts and projects from WalMart, Hobby Lobby, and Joann's fabrics. I wouldn't make a potholder from quilt shop quality fabric unless it was for show.

I buy what I like and what I can afford.
I've bought fabric from LQS and it has fallen apart. Have bought from Walmart and the stuff still looks brand new even with a 4 yr old toting the quilt around everyday.
So, my thought on the whole thing is.....doesn't matter whether you buy from Walmart, Joann's, LQS...you can get bad fabric everywhere.

I am so glad I read this. I have wondered the same thing. I can't afford the high dollar stuff at the quilt shops but I love to quilt so most of my fabric is from Joann's, Hobby Lobby and Walmart if I can find one that still sells material. Haven't had any noticeable problems, but I am very new at this and probably wouldn't know I had a problem with the material or not. I always figure I did it wrong. Thanks so much for everyones input.

If I like it I buy it where ever it comes from..sometime quilt shops has a lower end fabric that seems to be about like hobby lobby and even wal-mart...at least the one close to where I live does...and when you live far away and need something quick wal -mart is all I have..and some of there fabric looks good and has washed good! Hey in the old days they quilted with flour sacks and old shirts whatever they could find!!!

I agree with most that buying fabric can be a crap shoot unless you know exactly what you are doing. I do not as of yet. But I think it is horrible how manufacturers can sell me a fabric that is first or second run and not tell me!! I don't think where you buy should be the determining factor. I feel they should have to tell you it is not top quality. Clothing manufacturers do. I feel deceived when I hear this. But that is just MHO.

You know, I think that's a very good idea. I'd like to know whether a fabric is 1st, 2nd or 3rd run too! Maybe they should be required to print it on the bolt end.

I like to buy where I can feel the fabric. Some feel wonderful and others like a stiff scratch pad. If it feels good and I like it, I buy it. This usually works for me.

All shops selling fabric other than quilt shops sell lower quality fabric. Even stores selling last year fabrics, overruns, etc. usually have a lower quality - for example, they could have defects and flaws or the "finishing" on the fabric was left off. Eamine the fabric at these stores closely prior to purchase. Chain stores such as JoAnn, WalMart, Hobby Lobby - all lower quality and for me, I will not spend all my time and effort on something that is not "quality". My time and effort are "quality" to me so that's how I look at it. I don't mean to sound snobby at all - I just value what I do. This is my 2 cents worth!!!

The fabric has less threads per inch usually at walmart and the feel to the hand is not great at all. Since we use our quilts I prefer them to feel good too. Also if your putting tons of time into something I think its worth a tiny bit more on good fabric. JoAnnes sells some of the same fabrics a lot of quilt shops sell you just have to look at the names. Usually their $4.99 or less fabric is pretty equal to walmarts.

I really love all the insight I'm getting here! :) I hope you don't mind - I know I will be asking a lot more questions like this!

Unfortunately I don't think there is a "right" answer. I have found quality fabric at WalMart, and no so good quality fabric at quilt shops. I have found that I prefer certain manufacturers over others. Also, the same manufacturer can make a high quality fabric for one customer and a lesser quality fabric for another. So, bottom line is take each piece individually and decide if it's the quality you want to use. I do believe most quilt shops try to carry quality fabric, but that's not always the case. Hopefully I haven't confused you even more. :D

My advice....if you find a fabric that you like, pet it and hold it up to the light. You will be able to tell if it is of quality that you would like to work with. If it is, it doesn't matter where it came from. :)

I love to buy fabric and sometimes all I can afford is walmart,I also buy online and some from my LQS, but my favorite place is my Ben Franklins.They have flat folds I have even found thimbleberrys for under 4 dollors,I don't know why they are cheaper,but i haven't been unhappy and it satisfys my need for a fabric fix, :roll:

In my experience, it doesn't matter where you buy fabric. I've bought some expensive stuff at quilt shops that was absolute garbage and some inexpensive stuff at Walmart that was wonderful and vice versa. I feel the fabric and look at it closely. My suggestion would be to find fabric that you like and take note of the manufacturer, not where you bought it. After all, the manufacturer is the bottom line in terms of quality control. If you buy fabric that turns out to be not so great, don't buy from that manufacturer again regardless what store you happen to be at.

Are there certain mfg's to stay away from? I hate to admit it, but I've never even paid attn to who mfg any fabric.... it makes sense though.

I third that idea!
I would probably buy some of all three, depending on my budget, and what it was for, at the time.
But I would be an informed consumer! :D

naturalmama, every time you ask a quilty question, we all learn or are reminded. That's a good thing :D

I'm not so sure about the first-second-third run idea. Charismah may know something that I don't... there is, in the fabric business, something called a "strike-off". That's a test-printing of a fabric design. Well, let me back up. First the designer makes the artwork (and this is usually digital these days). Then (for prints) there are up to 16 screens that are engraved for printing the design. A screen is a fine-mesh metal cylinder, often with a 24" circumference (that's the vertical pattern repeat). The cylinder is initially coated with a substance that isn't penetrable by dye. A computer-driven laser is used to open pinpoint holes in the screen, which let the dye through; each different color in the finished print needs its own screen. All of the screens are mounted (very precisely!) on the rotary presses that print the design. (I'm attaching in a picture of one of the machines that used to operate at Cranston/VIP. I was pleased to have been able to tour their facility, before they stopped printing at their Massachusetts plant this past June.)

The first initial printing, the strike-off, gives an opportunity to see if the design translates well from artwork/paper to fabric. Usually it is a very small run, and the cloth is used to create samples for the fabric company's salespersons to show to shopowners and garment manufacturers. Sometimes multiple strike-offs are done, to get the quality of the print up to the standards of the fabric manufacturer. But it's not my impression that the strike-off fabrics generally make it into the retail sales world.

I'm not sure that the fabric manufacturers generally print a different quality of fabric for the chains, versus the LQS market. I think that, unless the chain specifically commissions an entire printing to be done to a (lesser) quality, whether the fabric is sold to a chain, or to a LQS, it's all being pulled from the same stock in the same warehouse. There are fabrics that I buy for my shop, that are EXACTLY the same prints as what I've seen in JoAnns. The only thing is... the LQS's generally get to carry a line for a half-year before it is offered to the chains (this is for Robert Kaufman and Timeless Treasures fabrics). I have seen Marcus fabrics that were printed in specific colorways for JoAnns and were printed on lesser quality greige goods, than the quilt-shop versions.

I think that what we all perceive as better (more attractive) fabrics is probably due to the quality of the printing: more screens equals a greater depth of color. It's also (obviously) more expensive to print a fabric with sixteen colors, rather than one with just two or three. Screens can be finer or coarser mesh, for a more or less detailed design. Some greige goods are heavier than others. I'm not convinced that thread count is everything... Michael Miller, Timeless Treasures, Robert Kaufman and Alexander Henry print on a little heavier fabric than most of the other manufacturers. Springs Industries fabrics are frankly very lightweight. And then the various finishes do result in a different "hand". (I really don't know much about finishes at all.)

Today a sales rep stopped by; he sells fabric from at least a half-dozen manufacturers and what he said was that there are fewer mills printing fabric these days, but that their quality has improved greatly over the last decade and they're all pretty much capable of producing the same high-quality prints. (The mills are typically in China, South Korea, and Japan. Only Santee still prints here in the US.)

When I choose fabrics, I really base my decision on the look of the design. I know that some manufacturers tend to have better animal prints, and some do a great job with flowers, others tend to draw upon a certain color palette that I find pleasing; yet others have their strength in the coordinating collections that they put together. It all depends on what you personally find appealing. I really haven't seen much of anything on the market lately that I would call "bad" in terms of quality.

Choose the fabrics that delight your eye. Touch them to make sure that they feel nice too. Beyond that... don't worry about it. But if buying in person, do watch as the fabrics are unrolled and measured; regardless of the manufacturer, it's the nature of fabrics that there is the occasional irregularity in the weave of the cloth. In busy patterns you'd never notice it, but in solid colors or pale prints it can really show. If buying online, buy from a store that you trust to be looking over the fabric carefully before sending it, the same way you'd be looking it over if you were there.

That was very informative! Thank you!

I found out by using cheap stuff from Joanns, (I ignored their good stuff)it isn't holding up very well....and for all of the work you put into a quilt, not worth it to me
Lois

What I have found is that the lower quality fabric fades. I made my grandchildren quilts using lower quality fabrics and they have all faded with repeated washings. I'd say, if you can't afford the good fabric, just wait until you can. The hours of labor and other expenses just aren't worth it. Same for batting. I found the WalMart/JoAnn's batting didn't hold up after repeated washings. My favorite is Quilter's Dream.

I buy what I like. I've made lots of quilts from WalMart fabric and lots
a few from LQS or JoAnns and usually I' m the only one that knows
which is which.

I agree about Walmart's hand. However, if you are material experienced, you can "feel" the fabric and often find a gem in between the glass. I stop everytime I shop Walmart just to check out the fabric. Sometiimes I luck out and sometimes not. I have bought beautiful fabric for &1.00 a yard. Once in awhile I have gotten a clunker.

I agree. My first two bedsize quilts were made with fabrics bought at JoAnns and they faded terribly and in some places have fallen apart. I was heartsick over it because these quilts were hand quilted and a lot of time and effort went into making them. I swore off JoAnn fabric after that. Ditto for the batting as well. I prefer Hobbs Heirloom batting and warm and natural but my current WIP is Quilter's Dream. It does needle very nicely so far.
I did make a quilt out of nothing but homespuns and for that I did get some Walmart homespun fabric and some homespuns from my LQS. This is a heavily used quilt and it is holding up quite well. So some Walmart fabric is fine. But that is not a choice for me anymore as my local wallyworld has discontinued their fabric dept. Any printed fabric and batiks I prefer to get at LQS and I have taken a chance with on line purchases and have been very satisfied so far. By far, my preference is being able to touch the fabric before buying it but on line purchasing has worked so far, although I have yet to use any online fabrics in a quilt.

Hmmmm. I hadn't even thought about there being a diffenrence in batting. I recently bought some thinner cotton batting (it was off a huge roll) at JoAnn's to make a comforter with. It will just be a sheet on one side, Michael Miller fabric on the other (just huge pieces - not quilted) - and I was going to hand tie it. Am I going to have problems??

I think that thin cotton batting that is not needle-punched and without scrim probably doesn't hold up well to tying. My favorite batting is Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton, which is fairly thin and not needlepunched, and it is recommended to be quilted about 2" apart. If this type of batting is tied far apart, I would think it would separate and ball up into lumps every time it was agitated in the wash.

If I were going to tie a quilt, I would probably use Warm n Natural (needlepunched through a scrim) or perhaps Quilters Dream (haven't used it, but I think it is more blanket-like). I think WnN can be tied 6 inches apart with no problem, maybe more.

Wow, I'm glad I asked.... can I get what you mentioned at JoAnn's or where would I find them?

JoAnn's carries Warm n Natural. Quilters Dream is widely available online. Before using these, you should probably research their characteristics. WnN is a very stable batting but the needle-punching through scrim gives it a stiffer drape than other battings. QD comes in varying thicknesses and has a finer drape. I'm not positive that QD is suitable for tying, though, having never used it myself; that is something you would want to research. Maybe start a new thread asking which batts are the best ones for tied quilts?

katier185 has a good point about piecing different quality fabrics. Experience has taught me that if you starch the "less" fabric before cutting, and then if necessary before piecing you can control the stretching somewhat.

As for telling the quality of fabrics, after a while you will be able to tell by the feel. As for JoAnn fabric, I have found that the bolts that sell for 8.99 are indeed far superior to the 3.99-6.99 bolts. When using the less expensive product I pre-wash and check for color fastness and shrinkage.

I'll admit that not so long ago I was a Quilt Fabric Snob. But after contracting to teach Quilting at JoAnn's I have had the opportunity to be around their fabric. I realized that some of their fabrics are actually really nice. The chain is trying out, bringing in lines of fabric. instead of just having a wall of color segregated fabrics. I have used their New Legacy line and it's pretty nice. I also like (actually love) their Stone Hill fabrics. But that is just me.

There are 4 LQS in my area and their prices are getting outrageous. They are charging from 9.99 - to 14.99. I hope this is not an indication as to how prices across the board will be. 2 years ago these same shops were priced from 6.99-11.99

Just my 2 cents worth, hope someone finds it helpful.

My usual blah-blah

Wash and dry the fabric before cutting. (In my case, I soak it in hot water first, then wash and dry)

After that, then one really knows what one has.

Next week, Joann's will have the pre packaged Warm n Natural on sale for $9.99. It's 90x108, or the equivalent of 3 yds off the bolt. I usually buy off the bolt for $6 on sale. This is a much better deal.