I agree buy the best you can afford to buy. However, Joann's does have some very poor quality fabric so you have to be careful what you buy. Also, the manager of the Joann's where I shop is a very poor people person. Management can really make a difference.

I just do not pay the higher prices at the LQS unless I just cannot find what I want anywhere else. I buy at a fabric outlet that I have seen at Hancock's, Joannes, LQS and the fabrics are usually $3.74 per yard. (When I started quilting 7 years ago his quilting fabric was $2.00 and $2.50.) I also use a lot of fabric from the thrift stores.

I have issues with Jo'Anns and the coupon use. They use them to draw in the customers.. but then "game" the use, by putting items on sale , so coupons can not be used. They also seem to inflate prices , so when a sale happens , you are paying normal pricing , but feel like you got a deal... They have wired our brains to look at the "what you saved" in big bold print... rather than what you spent. This is to create the feel good impression.. when in reality the "deal" or savings was not all that wonderful.
I wish they would price more reasonably and forget all the coupon/discount gimicks.

I buy from Wal-Mart, Joanns (to far away) also Hobby Lobby, Hancock and LQS. I have gotten good deals online also. You have to watch the quality of the fabric and determine if it will work for the project you are doing. I use coupons as much as possible as well as watch sales.

Well said, stillclock. Buy what you like and can afford. My DGM was a scrap quilter using cut remnants from the local Judy Bond blouse factory. (Anyone remember that brand??) The quilt on my bed has fabric from a remnant leftover from a homemade top when I was in 7th grade. To me, the memories of the quilter and love put into the quilt are far more important than where the fabric was purchased.

I shop at all the stores, lqs, Joanns, Hancocks, Walmarts and stores in Lancaster PA. Not all fabric is created equal, so I just look for what I like and can afford. So you just use whatever fabric you want and don't worry about the opinions of others.

Well, I wish we had a Joann's. There used to be one here, but it closed. That was before I started quilting. We have Wal-Mart, Hancocks, Hobby Lobby and 3 LQS, so I am not complaining, but I would like to have a Joann's nearby also. I like to have lots of choices when I am looking for fabric...and I am afraid I rarely buy from the LQS. I just can't pay that much for fabric.

Dina

I buy fabric and Joann's too because I can not afford the LQS prices. I made my 1st quilt from LQS fabric and it frayed just as much as anything I've seen at Joann's...I've even had to use to pretty thing material from Joann's because I fell in love with it and I just made sure to quilt it really good and get my seams perfect and I have never had an issue! :) I love their sales :) and those quilts are holding up well even after many many washes!

I made a number of quilts in the 1990's. I have some displayed on beds in 3 bedrooms which face the front of my house. The only ones that had fading issues were the ones where I used JoAnn fabrics. One has 12 hand embroidered blocks & eventually I will take out all the quilting & reuse the blocks with a different sashing & borders. I think the quaity of fabrics was better in the 90's than it is now. Like everything else, I try to buy the best quality - when it is on sale.

Yes, the illusion of saving. If you actually look at the prices you'll see that JoAnn's fabric is almost as much as a lot of LQS fabrics. Why would you pay just as much for lower quality? There are several discount sellers of top quality fabrics where you'll end up paying less than you would at a JoAnn's. For that matter nearly every LQS eventually puts fabrics on sale and I've bought fabric at several LQS from $1 to $3 a yard.