I rely quite a bit on advice from a friend who has been quilting for decades. She cautions me not to be a fabric snob. Basically, she has said to look at the fabric. If it is so thin that you can see your hand placed behind it, it is too thin. If you can't see your hand through it and you like it, by all means buy it! I have found some junky fabric at Wal Mart, and I've found some to be acceptable. Lately I've found some there that was quite a lot better - not as nice as the LQS, but neither were the prices. I try to buy the best I can afford and decide for each project. My Christmas quilts were made with better fabric. When I made Christmas table runners I used fabric that was a mix from various places. If I were to make pot holders, Wal Mart fabric would be just fine. Dog blankets would be fine from Wal Mart fabric too, no question. Decide for each project individually based on your budget. If all I could afford was yard sale fabric, I would still quilt. If I could not even afford that, I would still quilt, and I would just cut up old clothes. That's what our grandmothers did anyway, right?
