Best Quality Solids?
 

Hi, Everyone,

I started quilting again this past fall after a five-year hiatus and I just used up the last of my old stash of quilting cottons. I'm embarking on a new quilt for my fiancee and he prefers solids for his quilt. Having not bought quilting cottons for awhile (yes, I had a pretty healthy stash), I'm looking for advice on the best brand of quality cotton solids. Kona? Robert Kauffman? Jo-Anns carries Kona, which is a brand I see a lot, but they felt a little flimsy to me when I was there this afternoon. I always thought Kona was pretty high-end stuff, but maybe I'm wrong? Or maybe my local Jo-Anns had mislabeled? I've become a little skeptical of Jo-Anns of late, since some flannel I bought starting pilling dramatically after the first wash. Anyway, I see myself working with solids a lot in the future, so would love to hear what y'all think (I've never gotten bad advice on this website).

Thank you, as ever,
Aso

I have purchased Kona at JoAnns and been pleased with the quality. You do have to be careful because they have their brand and Kona placed side by side and there is a big difference in the two.

Did the label say Kaufman Kona? Kona Bay is a different company.

Moda Bella solids are very nice and come in a wide variety of colors. You can see some of them at http://www.fabric.com

For black, I like Michael Miller's Jet Black the best of all the ones I have tried.

Edit: I wanted to add that if you think you will be using lots of solids, it's a good idea to invest in the color cards for the different lines. Shop around online, though, as they are often priced differently on different websites. (Also check the number of colors on the card to make sure you are getting the most recent.)

I love Kona, but I found that it is frequently mislabeled at Joann. I've found a lot of their other solids in the Kona section. I generally order my Kona online at Hancock's of Paducah. It's frequently on sale and it's always top quality.

That said, I've begun to use other solids that I'm equally happy with - Moda Bella, the new American made line, and a few others I can't quite think of. I've been happy with the Bella and the American made line, and it's usually a matter of which is the right color for a particular project.

What does bug me is when quilt shops price solids the same as their other designer lines of fabric. No way I'm paying $10 - $12/yard for a solid. I'll stick with Hancock's and the Fat Quarter Shop, among others.

Welcome back!

Moda Bella And Kaufman Kona are my two favorites. I think Kona is a little heavier and slightly coarser weave than Moda Bella, but I really like them both.

I like Kona. Like others have said you really have to watch JoAnn's because the mix things together and carry brands with very similar names. I've been caught more than once on this.

I have been pleased with some of the solids from Connecting Threads. There is not a full spectrum of colors but what they do have is nice. You also might want to consider some blender fabrics that are not true solids but read for the most part as solids.

I prefer Kona and I buy it online from Fabric.com. I have a color card to help me finding the exact shade I need. They sell it for 5,48$ and it comes sometimes on sale. Connecting Thread solids are nice too for the price; on sale, it's often as low as 2,49$ so I order a bunch of every color to put in my sash. Compared to Kona, it's tinner and it's less stable so I don't like it for sashing. But for half the price on sale, it's worth it and I can use it for binding or backing.

I prefer Kona. It has a nice feel. The Moda Bella feels flimsier to me and I've found it to be off-grain. So I tear it to get a straight grain if I use it.

The fabric that is bought by JAF and Walmart are called "seconds". JAF has almost doubled their price on their "Kona cotton" so I look for sales at Hancock of Paducah when I buy Kona cotton. The quality and the color comparison is so stunning when compared to the Lona cotton fabric at JAF. The black is deeper and richer. I was shocked so I don't buy my Kona from JAF any longer. There happens to be a 20% sale on at Hancock of Paducah. Moda Bella is also suppose to be a high quality solid but I have never used it. We as woman have various opinions so nothing is going to be the BEST. Both lines are high quality solid fabrics.

The Kona cotton at Joann's has been discussed many times. Robert Kaufman himself posted an explanation, which can be read here:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...tml#post746926