tessagin

I purchase little on line. I go straight to the shop. if I like how it feels and hold up to see if I can read a newspaper through it, I won't buy that one. I may go look at a fabric that is supposedly not made for quilting and use it for a quilt. My deal and no one else's. My favorite shops are not shops. They're estate/garage sales and thrift stores.

BettyGee

There are definitely some fabrics that are so flimsy I won't buy them regardless of how much I like the pattern/color. I absolutely love Jinny Beyer's fabrics, but I cannot pay the price per yard. I cannot think of any Moda fabric that ever let me down. Andover, RJR, Red Rooster, Windham, and many more can make my mouth water looking at their new lines. Bunny Hill has a new line coming out called "Mistletoe Lane." I've only seen a glimpse of what it contains and I want them all. There are some designers that when I see their name on a fabric I know it will be quality and that I probably won't be able to justify the expense. So with all that boring stuff I will just say, I never met a fabric I didn't love.

klswift

the response to this was recently reposted. Companies will not sell 2 versions of their fabric under the same name. It hurts their brand. They may produce a 'lesser' quality fabric to sell a discount locations, but it will have a different name or at least a different line. In the beginning, trust your gut. Feel the fabric, look at it, it is very thin and see thru, you will not be happy with it. You do not have to buy very expensive fabric, there are many midrange fabrics that will work for you, especially as you are learning. Your particular tastes will develop. If I have a print that I absolutely love, I will deal with some difficulties (example would be heavy quilting with batiks). But if I am making a commission quilt with a color or print I do not like, it doesn't matter how 'nice' the fabric is, I will have a hard time working with it!

meanmom

I recently was digging in my scrap drawer ( a huge mess) looking for a certain color I knew was in there. Wow has the quality of all fabrics changed over the last 5 or so years. The newer fabric is so much thinner than the older stuff.

sewmini

I have had the same experience. Brand names do not always guarantee a good thread count.

crafty pat

I have had this to be a problem several times lately, I feel it and it feels right in the shop but after it is washed it feels limp an thinner. When I order I stick with the top lines and have not had a problem.

MargeD

I don't have a LQS near me, so JoAnn's and online quilt stores are my source for fabrics. I tend to judge the fabric by it's "feel", which is nearly impossible to explain in this forum. Mainly, if you look at a fabric, hold it under your hand and you see your hand clearly, put it back. I make family reunion quilts every 2 years and family members send fabric in the color I've chosen for that year. They seem to have gotten better at picking out their fabrics, so it's not the problem it used to be, but occasionally I get a "klunker" and that fabric I will use but very sparingly in the quilt.

bearisgray

I would hate to use that klunker - even sparingly - because that is the one that will probably wear out first and leave holes/shredded areas in the quilt.

danlynmartin

When a fabric is designed and manufactured there are a number of runs to "test" the fabric. The first runs are lore quality than the end runs thus you can have the same pattern but different prices and quality. I have an article on this and will post it when I locate it. I know this isn't exactly what this thread is about but I felt it was relevant.

katesnanna

I always remember my first quilting teacher telling the class, "don't just look in craft fabric", check out dress fabrics and even curtain fabrics. I've used some of these other fabrics as well as muslin.
Now I know a lot of people will be appalled to hear this but I love using muslin. It's strong, 100% cotton and it gets softer and whiter the more it is washed. I usually wash it 6-8 times and leave it to soak over night in the washing machine with 200 ml of Demestos (hospital grade bleach). LQS sell quilters muslin for $25 - $30 per metre. This is just muslin that has been processed further.
Mary Ellen Hopkins told us " you can use any fabric as long as you are willing to prepare it". She described her favourite at the time as a wibbly wobbly slush coloured fabric. I made a summer quilt for my DGS when he was in day care. The front was a piece of curtain material with teddies on tartan, white flannelette for batting and the backing was a maroon with tiny spots that I brought to the front and made a 2.5 cm wide frame. It was adorable.

At the end of the day, unless you are making it to enter a competition, it is your quilt and you can use whatever you wish. Don't be dictated to by the quilt police. Just enjoy your quilting making.