Fabric Quality
 

Hello New Friends! I am looking to buy quilting fabric in bulk. The manufacturer says the fabric is:
Density: 68x68
Yarn Count: 32s x 32s
Weight: 100 gsm
Is this decent quality fabric? Maybe not the best, but decent and not low quality?
Your help is appreciated as I don't have a lot of money and I don't want to waste it!
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Welcome to the board. I don't know your answer, but someone will be along who can help, I'm sure.

I have a very large stash, and I simply watch for sales. Join the shop hop and you will get on mailing lists for many shops. Craftsy just had a large sale (still going on, I think). Your stash will grow before you know it.
Sue

I agree with Sue. Watch for sales and LQS clubs to save money. I'm not sure why you would buy in bulk for individual sewing. You will end up with a ton of the same fabric and still have to buy a lot to go with it so all your quilts don't look the same.

Well, I didn't know this until you asked and I looked it up.

[h=3]Thread Count - Quilters Club of America[/h]
On a practical note - as a general rule, always get the best quality quilting cotton that you can afford.

Quilting cotton is normally 60-68 threads per inch, higher for batiks, however, I don't know what your website is telling you. Is density threads per inch OR is it yarn count??? Dunno.
I know GSM is grams per meter squared, but I don't know what weight is good/bad.
I would do some research on google as this info is something most quilters don't have info on. We just buy the brands we know.

Thanks for that info, Cathyvv!

I would ask the manufacturer for a sample. They should be able to send you a 2-inch swatch of the fabric so you can feel it.

Here is good info from cathyvv:
http://www.quiltersclubofamerica.com...m/t/32880.aspx

I don't know how to tell from that data, but I would try to find the same information from a known quality brand of fabric (or better yet, from multiple ones) and compare the numbers.

I just learned about this this weekend from a major fabric company. The 68 is equal to what is sold at Walmarts, the 60 is the better one. If you feel the two side by side, you'll be able to feel the difference. Also, stretch it, even though it shouldn't stretch and a lot will stretch a little, some stretch. We learned about a very popular fabric company and one of the top selling fabrics, really stretches, which means it will not hold up as well. Notice, I'm not naming names as far as the fabric company or the fabric line. Take some quality fabric with you if you are getting it in person and compare. I'm very hesitant to buy online unless I know the company.

Craftsy does have a sale going on now, on patterns and fabric and when I signed in there was a code at the top that it was free shipping using that code. You can also use the code SPRINGDEALS and get a class for 20. Good luck on your fabric search. Just think about if you get it and it doesn't hold up, was the cost of the fabric really worth all of the hard work you put into it and now have it gone. Just saying.

Thanks!
 

Thanks for everyone's help. I will keep you updated!

"yarn" count??? Do they really mean yarn, or are they talking about thread?

Oh, no! Experts are contradicting each other. Imagine that! I found another article saying 68 x 68 is better than 60 x 60.

I ask this question seriously - not to be snotty - who do we believe? Some of the articles I've read on the subject say that the big box fabric shops sell lower quality fabric than LQS, and yet I have walked into LQS and seen the exact same fabrics for sale for a couple of bucks more.

It is a lucky thing that we develop a feel for the 'hand' of a fabric after a while!

https://www.heirloomcreations.net/qu...abric-matters/

I don't know the exact answer to your question, but I know someone that purchased fabric by the pound for quilting. She was trying to save money and she received oddly shaped pieces of fabric left over from cutting nursing scrubs. She made a large quilt out of it, but it was extremely heavy and not very attractive. I like to see and feel my fabric. I would watch for sales and I would try to buy only what I need. Your stash will grow quickly on its own.

I don't think those numbers mean much to most of us quilters. It sounds like manufacturer lingo, not quilter... But I second the suggestion to ask for a sample you can look at and feel, before investing in the fabric in quantity. I noticed you just joined the board... perhaps to ask this question? You didn't say what you wanted to do with the fabric. We are mostly all quilters here. Were you buying fabric for quilting?

Through a friend, I may have the chance to purchase quilting fabric from China. She gave me the fabric numbers I asked the board about. I am now even more confused! Hopefully I can get a sample. Thanks again! And, I was a member of the board a while ago under another name but I can't remember the name or password. But I've been a lurker for a while now, too!

Lots of bargains from Hancock in Paducah

I totally agree with you. I've seen great stuff at Walmart and terrible stuff in LQS's, although generally speaking it's the other way around. I've received donations of fabric with old fabrics by manufacturers that are known to be inexpensive that were wonderful and some by big name quilting fabrics that were awful. I judge each piece on its own merits!

Welcome to the QB. I can't help you too much but I do feel that fabric from a quilt shop is a good quality but I really don't know the thread count. This is just a personal opinion and I am sure someone on this great board will help you.

When money is tight, I think very carefully before spending. Usually I hit the sale room in a quilt shop or get some Kona solids at Hobby Lobby. I am not really sure about the fabric you mentioned. Do you love the print?

I'd want to feel the fabric before buying any in bulk, from anywhere. Actually, I like to feel fabric before buying just a little. To be able to feel it and hold it up to light to see if you almost see through it ,or if it's a tight weave, will be your best bet. A "deal" isn't a deal if you end up hating it or it goes to waste .

Could be that the "yarn count" is the best Chinese interpretation of "thread count." I'm not sure. And whether 60 or 68, it's not as important as the kind of cotton. Think about how bedsheets are marketed as "400 thread count" or 600 or whatever. What matters is whether the staple is long or short, how soft it is. The longer the better. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but I wouldn't buy a large amount until I had tested it. Besides, it can take WEEKS to have it shipped. Do you have weeks?