Let Us Teach About Fabric Quality
12-10-2011, 06:21 AM
#42
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 146
Thank you for this post. I am aware of a international award-winning quilt artist who admits to using fabric from sheets, goodwill etc. but because of this, my local quilt shop will not sell her patterns. How can I support that....I can't.
12-10-2011, 06:31 AM
#43
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1,666
Lately I have been shopping at thrift stores for that reason. I can get good cotton fabric from lab coats,pillow cases,sheets,crib sheets & clothes. It always has to have a 100% cotton label or I don't buy it. I go when they have a 50% off sale, so I have really built my stash up! They also have a senior discount. Gotta do what you can afford!
12-10-2011, 06:45 AM
#44
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Sturbridge, Ma
Posts: 3,992
This is my "fabric snob" story. Some years ago a member of the guild I was a member of moved to southern Florida.
She told me that if I ever had surplus fabric to give away that her guild there was very active in making chairity quilts.
Now without attempting to profile, think about where those chairity quilts might be used in Southern Florida.
I made up a box and sent it off. Now all the fabric was of suitable weight for quilts and certainly suitable for chairity quilts.
In due time I received a letter with two checks and a note saying..."The quild only makes chairity quilts from 100% cotton and will only pay the shipping for the portion of fabric you sent that was 100% cotton. There were some blends in the box and I'm sending a check for the difference" . The blends were 50% cotton and poly and not the 80/20 so was very suitable for quilts.
Needless to say, that group never got any more fabric from me.
She told me that if I ever had surplus fabric to give away that her guild there was very active in making chairity quilts.
Now without attempting to profile, think about where those chairity quilts might be used in Southern Florida.
I made up a box and sent it off. Now all the fabric was of suitable weight for quilts and certainly suitable for chairity quilts.
In due time I received a letter with two checks and a note saying..."The quild only makes chairity quilts from 100% cotton and will only pay the shipping for the portion of fabric you sent that was 100% cotton. There were some blends in the box and I'm sending a check for the difference" . The blends were 50% cotton and poly and not the 80/20 so was very suitable for quilts.
Needless to say, that group never got any more fabric from me.
12-10-2011, 07:17 AM
#46
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,457
I was at a chain fabric store just this past week - fabric in the same area, made by the same maker - only different colors, was different in it's texture, thickness, and vibrance of color - this happened to be Kona cotton - and it was all good enough to use - but deffinitely not the quality that we are used to buying. I took a gamble for teh quilt I"m making that it will turn out good - it seems sturdy and it was the color closest to what I needed, so went with it - the price was higher too than I had been paying - but I think it goes with everything today - no matter what we buy anymore has a weaker quality - a higher price and leaves us wishing for the yesterdays when things were better. Maybe given time, if we have enough of it - things might get back to normal - but these are hard times for everyone - not just the consumer - but if you think of it the place we buy our goods from are consumers as well; they need to purchase raw goods to make the products too - those goods are not as good anymore either. When it comes to our fabric - the weather patterns we have to put up with has created a problem in raising cotton - without bumper crops, our prices for our fabric has to rise too - so it's a domino effect from the seed to the finished product.
12-10-2011, 07:18 AM
#47
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 513
Well stated, I don't have any trouble mixing "quilt shop quality" fabrics with fabrics that I have purchased from the chain stores. I also have never made a quilt that is stored in a hermetically sealed container that can't be touched or snuggled under. I make my quilts to be used up and enjoyed. Just my thoughts...
12-10-2011, 07:50 AM
#49
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: New York
Posts: 332
Originally Posted by Holice
I get exhausted reading the posts bashing stores for the quality of their fabric.
Instead.....lets teach how to determine the quality of fabric.
Fabric quality/availability has changed in the past couple years. Factories have closed; base fabric is being made almost exclusively overseas and it is becoming difficult (I imagine) for our favorite companies to get the quality they want. Lets face it, we may never have the quality and price we became accustomed to in the past.
I wanted to make a quilt using 6 different prints in shades and patterns in PINK. The quilt was being given for use as a throw on a couch and the circumstances were that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the fabric.
The only place I could find the fabric at a price I could afford was at the chain fabric store.
Within the 6 fabrics, there was a distinct difference in the feel of each fabric. However, after washing, ironing, sewing and cutting - the final product was certainly satisfactory. I have old quilts that were used, washed and used for years; have differences in quality and being all cotton are still good. Faded but still holding up.
I saw an interview recently on tv in which the interviewee said "We may not be able to control the circumstances but we can control how we react to them". Or something like that.
So.......all this is to say.
We have to live with the current fabric situation.
We have to be able to make our own decision about using the fabric that is available and the price we can pay.
And I would hope stop saying "only fabric available at certain sources" should be used in our quilts. Rather, advise other quilters about those circumstances to watch in using various qualities.
I like to remember to "respect the nature of the fabric" and act accordingly.
I hope no one takes offense to my rambling this morning. I try never to tell my students or other quilters that they are wrong but rather advise based on my experiences how they might react to the situation and the end results.
Instead.....lets teach how to determine the quality of fabric.
Fabric quality/availability has changed in the past couple years. Factories have closed; base fabric is being made almost exclusively overseas and it is becoming difficult (I imagine) for our favorite companies to get the quality they want. Lets face it, we may never have the quality and price we became accustomed to in the past.
I wanted to make a quilt using 6 different prints in shades and patterns in PINK. The quilt was being given for use as a throw on a couch and the circumstances were that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the fabric.
The only place I could find the fabric at a price I could afford was at the chain fabric store.
Within the 6 fabrics, there was a distinct difference in the feel of each fabric. However, after washing, ironing, sewing and cutting - the final product was certainly satisfactory. I have old quilts that were used, washed and used for years; have differences in quality and being all cotton are still good. Faded but still holding up.
I saw an interview recently on tv in which the interviewee said "We may not be able to control the circumstances but we can control how we react to them". Or something like that.
So.......all this is to say.
We have to live with the current fabric situation.
We have to be able to make our own decision about using the fabric that is available and the price we can pay.
And I would hope stop saying "only fabric available at certain sources" should be used in our quilts. Rather, advise other quilters about those circumstances to watch in using various qualities.
I like to remember to "respect the nature of the fabric" and act accordingly.
I hope no one takes offense to my rambling this morning. I try never to tell my students or other quilters that they are wrong but rather advise based on my experiences how they might react to the situation and the end results.
12-10-2011, 08:09 AM
#50
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: N Indiana
Posts: 518
People should realize that Fabric Companies make different grades of fabric. The same print may be available in several differnt shops, but may be a different grade. Thus the difference in price. I am a fabric snob and only use LQS. I use to manage a fabric shop and realize the differences. I always want a good grade of fabric. If I am going to spend my valuable time I want the best fabrics.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
craftybear
Main
7
10-06-2010 05:43 PM
