I bought a thread count thinghy and take it to Walmart/JoAnns/Hobby Lobby/ and even the quilt shops. I can tell if the fabric is woven evenly or has any slubs in the threads. I find many times that some WalMart fabric is as nice as the quilt shop fabric. Not the majority of it is though. It's always been some of the $5 a yard cotton fabric there that is good quality.