Originally Posted by MadQuilter
We had a discussion in a class last night and the teacher explained that the fabrics go through a first production run to test the pattern and the colors. Those fabrics go to big stores like Joanne. Then the manufacturers tweak the colors and use a better cotton to print the bolts for the LQSs.
I'm not positive that this is what happens. Most new patterns do go through a "strike-off" which is a test printing of maybe 200 yards or so. Usually this yardage gets cut up into samples for the travelling salesmen to show to customers, and probably a few yards get set aside to make sample products to help market the line. I don't really think that the big chain stores would be interested in obtaining such a small amount of yardage. Though... it's possible that the chains commission a special printing just for their own use, and they could choose to do it on a lesser quality fabric. JoAnn Fabrics carries a pansy fabric on their calico wall, that is exactly the same print as the "Stardust Pansies" line by Marcus. But the "Stardust" line sold to LQS customers was thicker fabric than the one that JoAnn's has.