I have heard alot of discussions on here about fabric. I can't seem to find any specific reasons that "good" fabric is better.

Other than "feeling" different why due you like to work with "good" fabric over say "average" fabric. Top LQS vers say Hancock/joanns level.

Dose it fray less, easier to match points, blocks don't distort as much, quilt easier..... Or is it all just about feeling softer without much of a functional "quilting" difference?

Just a newby being curious.

It is one of those things that you just realize over time, I think. For years I always bought the cheapest I could find. But when I gradually started using brand name fabrics I noticed small things - like less disortion, way less fraying, more ease in the cutting and piecing. The feel of the fabric is more substantial, and you can rarely see through it! I don't hand quilt, so cannot comment on that aspect.

http://patsloan.typepad.com/quiltershome/fabricq.html

http://www.camplebanon.org/uploads/f...tips%20pdf.pdf

http://portal.lizlink.com/c/document...e=DLFE-413.pdf

http://www.patchwork-and-quilting.co...tml#collecting

The better quality fabric will last longer. The quilt will stay in better shape longer and its colors will stay truer.

Putting price and place of purchase aside one has to judge the fabric itself. I try to watch the thread count and if it frays a bunch and one can see through the fabric when held up to a light or window it will not wear well. Yes, I do this when purchasing fabric. I do wonder about some fabrics that are quite stiff, even after washing and drying. They may seem solid but again watch the thread count.

Personally, I find the better fabrics have truer color and don't bleed as bad. I just feel like they would wear better

DITTO!!! :thumbup:

we have a (new) joannes; this past year...they charge just as much and a little more than our lqs...and the quality of product is half...and that's being generous. I have been sewing for over 40 years so have used tons of different fabrics...some are alot nicer to work with, some hold up better than others, some colors/prints are truer. it takes experience to pick out good quality fabrics, but i do believe you should always purchase the best quality you can afford. the better the materials going into a project the better the project is going to be. it is the same with everything, not just quilting. if your contractor goes to the (discount store) for the materials to build you a new deck...it will need to be replaced in a couple years; if he purchased quality materials it will last as long as the house. don't skimp on quality just because it's your hobby.

Interesting. I use primarily men's shirts bought at thrift stores for $4 all you can get in a bag. I notice a big difference in the quality of the fabric. You are so right about the see through.

I am a good fabric convert. At first I used what I could afford no matter what the quilt was destined for.
Then I tried to make a complicated star/flying geese pattern that used 1 1/2" half square triangles. Whew!
The cheap fabric stretched and slipped and was generally a Pain in the a**. When ripping out seams, I most often ripped the fabric.
The good fabric stayed put, sewed beautifully, and those are the seams that have stood up. I've had to repair some seams, and yes, they're the ones with cheap fabric.
$$ isn't always the point. You can tell how a fabric is going to behave if you handle it in the store, pull it along the bias - if it moves more than a tiny bit - pass on it.

please note: the question is not about where to buy or how much to pay.

please help this quilter understand methods for selecting fabrics that will return value for the price. help her understand why certain types of fabrics work better over the longrun than others.

please do not promote or slam any particular retail source or brand.

please keep this topic positive, on track, helpful and informative.

I go by the feel of the fabric, the weave of the fabric, (hold it up to the light and see how much light shines through - compare it to other fabric), if the color matches up in the print (if it looks just a little cockeyed, I don't want it). I joke that my hands have gotten fussier over the years. I have been seduced by fabric that has a lovely pattern and/or color that doesn't match my other criteria and regretted it later.
I had a friend who 'mixed' fabrics of different qualities. One of the fabrics didn't behave well and faded very quickly. For the amount of time she spent on the quilt, she was disappointed that this happened.
bargains can be found if you look in the right places.
lots2do

The biggest difference that I found was that some fabric that I bought was printed so crookedly that I could hardly use it. Although I did the best I could because it had a theme (NASCAR) that went with the quilt I was making for my son. I prewashed it, starched and pressed carefully but didn't help. I would not go through that frustration again, if I could help it. I think some of the cheaper fabrics have alot of filler and after washing don't look too good.
You can always see how it works out for you, I'm sure it all varies.

When I first started I had the impression that fabric is fabric. Once you have made a few quilts, some with hard stiff fabric that someone gave you because you sew, hen you move on to the better quality fabric, so soft and easy to handle, and you come to the understanding. Some fabrics have so much sizing on them that when you wash them you can never get rid of the wrinkles. Experience will help you understand. I can only compare it to getting your first car. When you are a teenager you don't care, as long as it is a box with wheels. After time you learn to appreciate it better.

I agree with what has been written about using high quality fabric , but would like to add a comment about the quality of the print itself. High quality fabrics have a much more defined/sharp image or pattern , put a cheap floral next to a high quality fabric and it is obvious that one is not as clear/sharp of a print and will seem blurry. Also the higher quality prints use many many colors and shades to get it to look as diminsional as it does. Lower quality prints may only have 2-4 colors in the registration as the higher quality may at first look only appear to have a few colors but looking at the regisration there may be 10 . I have seen some with 24 colors/shaded in the regisration.
I just washed a few scraps I had for many years to make a scrap quilt ... the cheaper goods were noticably faded on the first wash and the higher quality was still bright and clear.

Good fabric can come from any source, from thrift store clothes to a LQS.
I take price into consideration, as to where/how I shop too. Many stores have great sales, and I have a set price that I am willing to pay for fabric. So I can get name brands online quite frequently by watching for sales with reasonable or free shipping.

Very loosely woven fabrics usually will not hold up as well as more tightly woven fabric.
If you rub your finger on the cut edge, and it frays very easy, you may want to reconsider buying it.
Most fabric is a little see through when held up to a light source, but once you start checking this way, you will notice the difference between a little and a LOT :wink:

I second that! I have noticed that as soon as the first washing, some of the lesser priced fabrics loose their color or brillance. I had a black print that became dark grey. Some of the cheap stuff has a tendency to "crock" meaning that it looses color in wrinkly-like streaks and that can't be fixed.

Also the cheaper fabric tends to have a lower thread count.

I have fallen in love with batiks and hardly buy anything but batiks now. HOWEVER, they bleed (or run) like no tomorrow, so you need to check by looking at the wash water while it is agitating in the machine. Are the foamy bubbles colored??? If so, keep washing/rinsing until the water runs clear. If not, dip a clear glass into the water and look at it up in the air. Is it clear? Great! If not, proceed as above.

Always try to buy the best fabric you can afford. I know I'm not making heirloom. If they don't out-last me, so what? I enjoy the journey of making them and giving them.

I haven't experienced the distortion, fading etc. and I don't pay anymore for fabric then I have to. After many, many years of sewing and quilting, I know how good fabric feels, don't always want to spend a lot of money on fabrics to make quilts with that I mainly give to people who don't quilt and like to wash them as often as sheets. I buy what I consider at least medium quality.

I have taught my kids (two daughters and a son) to find fabrics they love and "feel" them. They are getting really good at that. So much easier to sew with too. That's the big plus.

I just want to rub your cute kitty avatar's belly!

;-) ;-)

I have a question. How do you find the thread count on fabric. Is it on the bolt end somewhere in code? At least on sheets they tell you right out clearly. LOL

I just look at the fabric. Open it up and look through it to see how transparent it is. If you can see through it and make out what you are looking at, it's a low thread count.

Can you see the individual threads easily? Are there tiny holes between the threads - low thread count. You can see the threads on some good quality fabric, but there aren't holes.

I don't think there is anything on the bolt that gives that info. You just have to look at it and make your own decision. It's a judgement call.

I couldn't say it any better...that old addage " you get what you pay for" is so true.

I use what I can afford. I am currently using some fabric for a backing that is not of the highest quality and this is what I am noticing...

Because I hand quilt I noticed that the fabric does not move as nice for the needle as the better quality stuff.

But...this will not stop me from buying the cheaper stuff.

Kyia

I think you need to evaluate each piece on it's own merits.

I agree with the other poster, I also think the fabric's with the most "crispness" have the most starch in them and this makes it seem like a "better" fabric.. to me anyway. I find more of the cheaper fabric's have more starch or sizing in them.
I also think the coloring is better, truer colors maybe. Then if I am going to spend the time doing the quilting and sewing I want to do it with better fabric that looks better in the finished product.
To me it's more about quality than quantity.

For me, "good" fabric is about how it feels...I like fabric that has a good "hand" and feels stable without being stiff, that cuts well without lots of fraying, and that sews and quilts beautifully. And yes, I have bought lots of good fabric at my LQS, but I have also bought it at discount stores.

I personally prefer the "beefier" fabrics that are a bit thicker. I find that they are more forgiving of inaccuracies in piecing; just take the block over to the ironing board and steam it a bit and the ripples and waves just seem to disappear.

I'm also big on checking the quality of the printing. Another poster mentioned that the more screens/colors in the print, the greater the depth of the overall design.

I have noticed that the prints done for one of the chain stores (won't name names here) are not as perfect. I think they print large lots, at the lowest price they can negotiate, and quality control is just not as good. What I tend to find is that there are little unprinted spots on the fabric because in the manufacturing process they have not removed all the fuzz/lint/fibers that are loose on the top of the raw cloth, before dyeing / printing it. Another problem that can happen is when some of the holes in the screens that allow the dye to pass through onto the cloth are plugged, then you have unprinted areas that repeat each time the screen revolves, usually every 24" or so. Those are the worst, because they affect the entire bolt, indeed, probably all of every bolt in that lot.

Another problem I've seen occurs only on white /light colored goods. That's where a tiny colored fiber is wrapped around the thread as it's spun, and then when this is woven into the finished cloth it appears as a darker line. This is a problem that I've occasionally encountered even in quilt-shop brands.

Bottom line is... you've got to take a good look at a fabric and then decide for yourself where quality begins and ends.

Yes. I was just trying to say that I noticed a difference in hand quilting (with this particular piece). Every fabric can be taken on it's own merit.

Kyia

you are right to say that it is something you see with time and experience. Not a bad thing to notice. Use what you have, do good things, but one should not be damned for their observations ;-) either way!

My first quilts was for my husband. I bought the focus fabric at LQS and other fabric at chain store, I didn't know about quality then. After a few years of use, the chain store fabric is falling apart but focus fabric is still good. Can't make a heirloom from that.

I still prefer name brand fabrics and will buy them now for anything that will get a lot of use as I know they will hold up better. That said, there are some good fabrics and bad at any store. But it seems that they put a lot of sizing and starch in cheaper fabric to make them seem better than they are.