Originally Posted by DonnaCee
It's said that when you go to name brand outlet stores, the companies produce a lower (not necessarily poorer) quality of goods than the same thing sold in high end stores. I wonder if fabric manufacturers do the same. Is the Benartex you buy from Hancock the same quality as what you buy from Fabrics.com? I've bought from CT (their flannels are amazing) and Hancock of Paducah. When I buy from online stores I'm not familiar with I only buy the names I know. I once bought a jelly roll on Ebay that was disappointing because it was a mix of fabrics and some of them were poor quality. Where ever I shop I stick with the names I know. That seems the safest way to go. Then you know what you're getting. I'll certainly check out the sites recommended on this thread.
I've noticed that Hancock's (the chain, not Hancocks of Paducah) sometimes sells name-brand fabrics. I truly believe it would be the same quality - and probably pulled from the same warehouse and shelf - as what gets shipped to any LQS. I've purchased some Alexander Henry and Timeless Treasures fabrics from them a few years ago and they were exactly the same as what I would have gotten directly from the manufacturer.
At some point, Robert Kaufman (the manufacturer) had posted on the forum here that the Kona cottons sold at JoAnns were no different from what is shipped to the LQS market.
That said... it is *possible* that one of the fabric manufacturers could have a batch of fabric that was printed on the wrong greige goods (unprinted cloth) which they have to unload and it *might* make its way to the chains or some other source. But... I said *possible*, not *likely*.