Originally Posted by NCfleur

Hello Quilting Friends:

Newbie here with lots of questions.

I never sewed before I picked up an inexpensive machine to take my first class last summer so I don't have any sewing experience to fall back on. Sorry if my questions are really basic! :shock:

So I'm learning the names of some high end fabric manufactures like Jinny Beyers, La Moda, etc from looking at fabric at my LQS. I hear people say you should buy the best you can. But I also want to stay within a budget and I don't know how to judge "quality" of fabric.

Of course I know to stay with 100% cotton. I've seen cloth at Walmart that felt like cheese cloth and I know that's not good! LOL!! But honestly, if someone put samples of fabric in front of me without the labels, I don't know if I could tell which came from the quilt shop and which came from JoAnne's/Hancock's.

Then I think about the old quilts from the 1800's-1900's and how everyone raves over them. Some of them were made with flour sacks and old pieces of who-knows-what! What's a girl to do?? LOL!

Any help in developing some judgment would be greatly appreciated.