I have bought JoAnn's unbleached and tea-dyed muslin for backings and, depending on the weight, piecing. I don't like Kona white because it feels too stiff. Thanks for the suggestion of JoAnn's bleached. Will check it out next time I'm in the store.

Muslin is marketed as being premium, good and sometimes utility quality. Each has its best uses. I use a lot of the premium quality in my work and usually buy it at Hobby Lobby. I use it also for backing of items that are not intended to be reversible. Works beautifully.

I prefer Kona “Snow” for background...available at Hobby Lobby and Hancock’s of Paducah. That said, I loved unbleached muslin when making 30’s quilts. I don’t buy Joann’s fabrics as a rule.

I have used the Legacy Studio muslin from JoAnn. It feels nice.

It does shrink - at about the same rate as most of the other quilting type fabrics do.

Just a question/observation:

Why do people not seem to blink at the cost of a yard of fabric at a LQS - but seem to feel that they are being robbed if JoAnn charges the same for similar quality fabric?

(I remember people from "the older generation" going on and on about what things cost when they were younger - I am now a member "of the older generation".)

I have used the Legacy Studio muslin from JoAnn. It feels nice.

It does shrink - at about the same rate as most of the other quilting type fabrics do. If I remember correctly, it shrank in length. Because I was making curtains out of it, I'm glad I found out that it shrank before I hemmed them.

Just a question/observation:

Why do people not seem to blink at the cost of a yard of fabric at a LQS - but seem to feel that they are being robbed if JoAnn charges the same for similar quality fabric?

(I remember people from "the older generation" going on and on about what things cost when they were younger - I am now a member "of the older generation".)

I bought some Roc-Lon tea-dyed muslin several years ago. The end label said it was "pre-shrunk". I did my usual water ritual before cutting it. It shrank a lot. More than the usual amount of "not pre-shrunk" fabric. It was pretty decent muslin after I shrank it.

I usually measure my fabrics before and after soaking and washing them. Almost all of them shrink - usually more in one direction than the other.

Bear, i don't feel that JAF has the quality of quilt shop fabric. That's why I don't buy it there. I order most of my fabric online from Moda or companies like Moda that I trust. I've never been disappointed.

Most of the fabric in my stash is "older" - by about 20 to 30 years or so! So - I admit that my observations are probably out of date on what is currently available.

I did buy about $200 worth of fabric last winter for a quilt class from the LQS that was giving the class. One of the reds shrank over two inches in width and had excess dye in it. The others shrank only about an inch per yard. (Kind of blew my mind that I spent that much on one project!)

I do have to admit - that I have not recently looked carefully at any of the quilting cottons available at JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby or Walmart.

I need to shop my stash now!

However, in my stash, I do have:

Alexander Henry
Benartex
Hoffmann
Kaufman
Hoffman International
Kona
Peter Pan
VIP
Cranston
Moda (not very much)
Northcott
John Kaldor
Marcus Brothers
Springs Industries
David Textiles
and several other lines along with some "no name" fabrics.

I did have a few batiks, but they don't have info on the selvages, and I gave most of them away.
I'm not motivated enough to go downstairs to look at all the labels.

There is a difference between them - but - IMO, some of the differences are more in the line of "what I like in texture" versus "is this a 'fabric worthy of my time'".

I have noticed that sometimes there is even a difference in fabrics that have the same "name" on the selvage.

Do I "need" more fabric - I am still looking for about four yards of a John Kaldor. Other than that - not really.

I often use bleached muslin for backgrounds in quilting. Choose a good muslin, it doesn’t matter where you purchase it. The big box stores do carry some good quality along with lesser. If it passes your test as far as weave and thickness there is no reason not to use it.

Joannes, along with most of the big box stores carry a variety of grades of fabrics. Although I don’t buy a lot of fabric at joannes I do usually purchase the ( staples) there....muslins bleached and natural mostly. They carry some I consider ( utility fabric) that is quite thin. I use them for tracing patterns, and for foundations. They also carry really good muslins, better than I’ve found in some quilt shops. I have spent big bucks at reputable quilt shops for fabrics that were really not good quality. Each store has their good and not so good- and a range of price points.

I use natural muslin by the ton! Well, a lot anyway. For backing and for my favorite background fabric. I get a good quality like Moda Premium.