I really haven't bought much fabric in the recent years. I think my most dependable quality fabric has been moda. I love the feel of northcott's fabric and do like the quality of it but it has a softer feel and I find it a bit harder to stitch on. Ha, I am laughing at myself...I just pulled out about a dozen fabrics from my stash and basically, I do have a wide variety. Most of what I have I did buy at local quilt shops where I have done business with them, and they know me by name. But anyway, Yes I have been burned a couple of times with fabric from the quilt shops but more often from the chain stores. However, it really depends on your resources and also on what the intended use of the quilt is. I always look at the sale and clearance fabric no matter where I am. If I find something in the sale bin that I think will make a great backing "for something" and it of a great enough quantity and good enough price, yep it goes home with me. Most of the time, I have no idea of what it is going to be the backing for. All of my recent Bonnie Hunter mysteries have one of those sale finds as backing. Yep, just about anything you get will go with a very scrappy top.