I buy fabric in both...JoAnns and LQS. You have to feel the fabric and make the decision. I have bought fabric at a LQS that is thinner than at JoAnns. I recently bought some Christmas fabric from a LQS and it was very stiff and didn't have a good feel to it. I picked it because I liked the way it looked and didn't realize it was so stiff until I got it home and went to cut it. My WalMart has started to carry fabric again, but it does not seem to be as nice as what they used to carry. When price is the object, you have to make that decision. The fabric at JoAnns is getting to be very expensive. I have see cotton there for as much as $12.99 to $14.99 a yard. If I am going to pay that much for it, I will buy it from the LQS.