..."according to the internet ". Last sentence of your first paragraph. And, we know that all on the net is true...as per a tv commercial I saw once! Just visit a LQS in your area, a JAF or hancocks and touch the fabric ........and soak in the beauty of the eye candy.......then decide....Do you have a specific pattern you would like to do for your mom?

I've really been disappointed in the Bella solids. Used to use them exclusively, they're so thin now you can practically see through them. It seems we're paying more for an inferior product.... dirty shame.

Such great advice!! This is the second post in as many weeks by a brand new quilter who is looking for cyber opinions on "quality" manufacturers as if they were trying to find the "best" restaurant in town by checking online reviews. Like so many other things in quilting, the best answer is...it depends.

Depends on what line of the manufacturer, when it was produced, what dyes were used, what greige goods were used, where it was produced, and who knows how many other factors. It all makes a difference and the only way you can tell that difference is by touch. There are simply too many variables involved even within a single manufacturer.

If I were just starting out instead of 40+ years into this sport, I would still make sure I got 'hands on' with all the fabrics I intended to purchase for my first few quilts. After that, you can base decisions on your own experience...tempered by input from others perhaps, but the key is self knowledge. What is 'quality' to you will very often not be the same as 'quality' to someone else.

And it's jolly expensive at average £22 per metre!

Keep in mind that the "hand" of the fabric can vary from person to person so it depends on what you think about it. I've had good luck with Northcott, Bentartex and In the Beginning fabrics. I don't buy much at JoAnn's any more, I just think the quality has gone down in their cottons. Luckily I have lots of LQS's around so I only order online once in awhile. Check with your LQS to see if they have groups or guilds that you could talk to about your questions as well.

By the way...do any of you have any experience with the American Made Brand of solids?

I too, was wondering about the color making a difference in the same line! Last night I was cutting some red Kona and I thought my blade was dull. I could not find my blades, it was late, and did not want to start digging. I still wanted to cut a couple other fabrics to make a quick block. I started cutting some Kaffe prints. They cut like butter, same blade. Maybe there is something there that needs more investigation!!

AMB solids, made by Clothworks, yes. Despite their slightly higher thread count (74x78), I found AMB solids to have no softer a hand and no less raveling on the cut edges than Kona or the other cotton braodcloth solids with a 60x60 thread count. Hope that helps.

More likely that it was merely been the difference in the weave (broadcloth vs quilting cotton) or the thread count (60x60 vs mid 70's)...toast vs butter. :)

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. You can over think the entire process... fabric, batting, thread and then you get down to how to quilt it... FMQ (free motion quilting), SITD (stitch in the ditch), etc. Someone once suggested that we can want to start "finished". In other words, start sewing as an accomplished quilter. Some of what you are asking can only be guided by seeking knowledge from others and then experiencing fabrics yourself. This will give you your personal preferences. You could always practice on some smaller size quilts (doll size, baby blankets, lap quilts) to give you the experience and then donate them or give them as gifts to someone else before you make that wonderful quilt for your Mom. Speaking as a Mom, she will LOVE it!

We all hope you will post your quilt when you get started.