Fabric Quality
12-03-2020, 11:18 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 7
Fabric Quality
Hello everyone! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy! I am wondering how you tell if fabric is good quality or bad? I recently bought some from Joann Fabrics on black friday deals, and then I found some things online saying that it was horrible quality for quilting. Well, now I'm bummed that I spent all that money and unsure what to do with it.
So how do I tell if it's good or bad? Do I look for a certain feel? A certain thickness?
Thanks in advance for your help!
So how do I tell if it's good or bad? Do I look for a certain feel? A certain thickness?
Thanks in advance for your help!
12-03-2020, 11:46 AM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,065
Short form: Trust your own senses and feel and whether a fabric is worth your time to deal with. You will develop preferences, but it is a reason many of us don't want to buy on-line, we are each looking for certain things. Price/name brand can help but are not guarantees.
There are many ways to judge fabric quality, one of which is thread count, however dye saturation/treatments like metallic embellishments also add to cost/quality. The term for the raw fabric is "greige" goods and many things can be done to the exact same piece of raw woven cotton and different industrial rolls of fabric can be woven differently. Among things I'm looking at is how the fabric drapes, that bias movement and I don't think most quilters even look at that. But mostly you want a nice straight and even weave that you can't see through, you shouldn't feel the individual threads, it shouldn't ravel.
Ultimately we have to be the judges of what fabrics we use, I have gotten some very high quality pieces of fabric from Walmart (I think some of the Wamsutta pieces are from high-end products and not exactly made for selling as yardage) and I've gotten brand names from the LQS (Local Quilt Store) that after I prewashed I considered non-usable. We have many discussions here on prewashing, all I can say is I'm a fan and I believe my projects are better for taking the time to do it.
Some of what is sold at Joann, Walmart, etc. is considered "craft" quality, which is a general division and is perfectly fine for things like seasonal table cloths or clothing that is not meant to be forever. It is typically mixed in with the other fabrics or may be in it's own (often seasonal) group. You can often see as well as feel the difference and for those of us sensitive to smells, there may be some distinct odors of starch or other treatments. Often the designs are not very complex, nor is the printing very close, and the colors "cheap" from the lack of saturation.
Quilting quality may be slightly different than LQS quality (usually meaning the name brands like Moda, Benartex, etc.), but has a higher thread count and typically then a tighter weave (less see through). Many people associate a certain weight of fabric as a sign of quality, however other people (including me) just love working with batiks or lawn fabrics because they are also (typically) quality fabric just of a different weave.
A lot of people believe in pure cotton for quilting, I can say that I prefer it for enough reasons to be a thread of its own (like prewashing), but I haven't always had the luxury or the right color or whatever it is on why I wish to add in a blend of some sort. Sometimes it is for texture, a bit of linen or silk or whatever again in fabric that is prewashed is not a concern to me and I've worked with a 10% spandax fabric because it was perfect for the person. And I have a huge horrible piece of slippery poly blend that's probably somewhere around the 40/60 (mostly poly) that I'm going to use for the back of a quilt just because I love it and its perfect for that project but it will be a pain to work with and it may or may not last -- just never know with the polys some of the most surprising flimsy fabrics turn out to survive direct nuclear blasts and others just disappear.
There are many ways to judge fabric quality, one of which is thread count, however dye saturation/treatments like metallic embellishments also add to cost/quality. The term for the raw fabric is "greige" goods and many things can be done to the exact same piece of raw woven cotton and different industrial rolls of fabric can be woven differently. Among things I'm looking at is how the fabric drapes, that bias movement and I don't think most quilters even look at that. But mostly you want a nice straight and even weave that you can't see through, you shouldn't feel the individual threads, it shouldn't ravel.
Ultimately we have to be the judges of what fabrics we use, I have gotten some very high quality pieces of fabric from Walmart (I think some of the Wamsutta pieces are from high-end products and not exactly made for selling as yardage) and I've gotten brand names from the LQS (Local Quilt Store) that after I prewashed I considered non-usable. We have many discussions here on prewashing, all I can say is I'm a fan and I believe my projects are better for taking the time to do it.
Some of what is sold at Joann, Walmart, etc. is considered "craft" quality, which is a general division and is perfectly fine for things like seasonal table cloths or clothing that is not meant to be forever. It is typically mixed in with the other fabrics or may be in it's own (often seasonal) group. You can often see as well as feel the difference and for those of us sensitive to smells, there may be some distinct odors of starch or other treatments. Often the designs are not very complex, nor is the printing very close, and the colors "cheap" from the lack of saturation.
Quilting quality may be slightly different than LQS quality (usually meaning the name brands like Moda, Benartex, etc.), but has a higher thread count and typically then a tighter weave (less see through). Many people associate a certain weight of fabric as a sign of quality, however other people (including me) just love working with batiks or lawn fabrics because they are also (typically) quality fabric just of a different weave.
A lot of people believe in pure cotton for quilting, I can say that I prefer it for enough reasons to be a thread of its own (like prewashing), but I haven't always had the luxury or the right color or whatever it is on why I wish to add in a blend of some sort. Sometimes it is for texture, a bit of linen or silk or whatever again in fabric that is prewashed is not a concern to me and I've worked with a 10% spandax fabric because it was perfect for the person. And I have a huge horrible piece of slippery poly blend that's probably somewhere around the 40/60 (mostly poly) that I'm going to use for the back of a quilt just because I love it and its perfect for that project but it will be a pain to work with and it may or may not last -- just never know with the polys some of the most surprising flimsy fabrics turn out to survive direct nuclear blasts and others just disappear.
12-03-2020, 11:49 AM
#4
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,461
You can get good and bad fabric anywhere. Once you are more experienced you can tell the difference by feel. Find a quilt shop quilt fabric (fat quarter)you like the solid feel of and compare that to your Joann’s.
12-03-2020, 12:43 PM
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,065
Thanks Sally, I should confess that I'm 60 now and still just love textiles of all sorts and when I was going through college (both times, starting in my teens/20s and then finishing in my 40s) when I had to write papers it was amazing how I could use quilting in particular or textiles in general so I do have some book learning under my belt from history to manufacturing to all sorts of things. I'm certainly not the only person who believes that the modern industrial revolution including computers (as well as various social issues too) all comes from the desire for the miracle fiber of cotton.
It's been a life-long fascination and I've gone through some definite phases Starting when I did just before the rotary revolution and then being able to ride the wave, and especially here in Seattle where we were a quilting hotbed of activity didn't hurt either. And at this point in my life, I'm having to make adaptation/discover different methods on still managing to sew with vision issues, so I'm finding new things to learn.
I learn so much from the people here on the boards and the quilters around me. I was, like many, a solitary quilter for years but really have grown to appreciate the community around me and the sharing that goes on in many ways in quilting. The sharing of stories, of fabric, of opinions... it's all wonderful and the internet is a wonderful thing where we can share our knowledge even if not in the same room.
Quilting board is where I can have my coffee breaks and chat over a subject I hold dear. The hubby tries but his eyes glaze over really quickly some times
It's been a life-long fascination and I've gone through some definite phases
Starting when I did just before the rotary revolution and then being able to ride the wave, and especially here in Seattle where we were a quilting hotbed of activity didn't hurt either. And at this point in my life, I'm having to make adaptation/discover different methods on still managing to sew with vision issues, so I'm finding new things to learn.I learn so much from the people here on the boards and the quilters around me. I was, like many, a solitary quilter for years but really have grown to appreciate the community around me and the sharing that goes on in many ways in quilting. The sharing of stories, of fabric, of opinions... it's all wonderful and the internet is a wonderful thing where we can share our knowledge even if not in the same room.
Quilting board is where I can have my coffee breaks and chat over a subject I hold dear. The hubby tries but his eyes glaze over really quickly some times
12-03-2020, 04:57 PM
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: northern minnesota
Posts: 2,352
When I buy fabric from the chain stores, I do look at the weave and anything that is loosely woven stays in the store. When I do buy fabric there, I almost always wash and dry it as I do my regular wash. Sometimes the stuff I have gotten feels fine....but when it is washed....it is much thinner...like they really must have put some sizing or somethin in it. And also I like to measure it before tossing it into the wash, then dry, iron, and measure again....I have found some of the fabric is an amazing shrinking fabric...sure wish I could wash myself like and shrink as much. Now I have used some of that amazing shrinking fabric...but it has been preshrunk by me so hopefully, doesn't end up puckering the whole quilt unevenly.
12-04-2020, 04:32 AM
#10
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Posts: 1,820
I've always had to be picky about the fabric I purchase because it's usually $10-15/yard. The colors are vibrant, and it feels like great quality. The fabric that I bought for $5/yard (store initials: J A) looked faded after prewashing. I stick to the designers that want to protect their reputation. I usually buy online from a company that allows returns, but I have not had to return anything yet.
try fabric.com
try fabric.com
