I buy it when it calls my name in the store. The hard part is that I am on a first name basis with a lot of fabric.... I used to buy 2 yards but I have bumped that up to a minimum of three yards if it catches my eye and 4 or more if it screams my name!! It's hard to be a fabriholic!!!

thanks everyone for all of your nice comments, this board is so good to help others out, we all learn from each other

this is my # 1 Quilting site online

Please others post your comments here about fabrics!

The main thing I look for at buying fabric is the quality and the thread count. Actually I'm not counting - but after a few years of quilting I can see it and feel it. Because I only do handquilting and not patchwork the thread count is very important to me. Less than a 60 does not work for me, the quilting stitches will "fall" between the threads. Therefore I look for a higher on. 70-75 works best.
I love to use P&B Fabrics, Moda Bella Solids and Quilt Gate from Japan. Fortunately I can get them from our wholesaler where we buy for our Online-Shop - but the LQS also have it.

Ditto, What is most important to me is the way it feels. For stuff like my Linus Quilts I let the pattern influence me more since I will be doing them entirely by machine. I love the look of Batiks but they are hard to hand quilt and usually more tightly woven. While I like the look of say white on white prints they also are harder to handquilt through.

I just go over to the animal section or the 30s, andstart looking around, lol! I do pick it up and see how it feels, amke sure it isnt see through and all!

I think I'm going through my batik phase right now and I really like a lot of the Hoffman and Kaufman batiks. I use a quilt store that is about 80 miles away but on the way to my son's house where we go to babysit every Tuesday and Wednesday. The store is Pennington Quilt Works and they have an amazing variety of batiks I have ordered from Batiksplus on like and been very happy with my purchases. I needed another Bali pops recently and was able to find it on eBay and paid at least $5 less than the first one I bought at the quilt store.

Thanks everyone for sharing, great info for the ones, just starting.

When it is in person, I do like to feel it.

When online I trust the shop. Also if it is Kaufman, I can be sure that it will be nice. Never been disappointed there.

These are some I have bought from
Quilter Studio
The Quilting Place
Craft Connection
Ann's Fabric and Crafts
Over the Rainbow
Always Open Quilt Shop
Wish Upon a Quilt
The Stitch and Frame Shop
The Tattered Rabbit
Tennessee Quilts

thanks for letting me know,

lots of great comments, keep posting so we can learn more about fabrics