I buy fabric wherever I can find the color I want in a quality I want, but I think starting with too inexpensive a line of fabric can making learning more difficult. A loosely woven fabric will stetch more and not hold its shape as well as better fabric. If you feel the need the use lesser quality fabrics, then spray starch is your friend. I've used some FQs from JoAnn's that were not good to get the colors I wanted. I starched them after washing them and once they were quilted, they seem to be doing fine. I could not be quilting at stictly quiilt store prices. Thank goodness for sales and some good fabrics at big box stores.