First off, what kind of quilting are you going to do? I knew right off two, three, fabric quilts would bore me to tears. Knew I was a scrappy girl off the bat. I buy lots of 1 yd pieces and some stores have sales and sell off their odds and ends - that's my kind of sale. I don't waste time on fq unless they are on sale and I need it. As far as buying the wrong color? What is a wrong color? It will fit in somewhere. No fabric goes wasted with me. I've been buying border fabric recently, but mostly 1-3 yd pieces.

I stock up on solid color fat quarters at small quilt show vendor booths. They usually have a fat quarter bin for $1- $2. I like buying the fat quarter towers or bundles of different design lines. I buy most all my fat quarters online from Missouri Star Quilt Company and Connecting Threads.

I have fallen out of love with fat quarters. As someone said...they're often wonky or cut so far off grain you're left with a scrap after straightening up. Plus if you fall in love with a fabric, Murphy's law dictates that the piece you get will NOT have the selvedge that actually has the manufacturer's info. So for me, half-yards is the minimum I'll buy; I prefer a yard.

I would trust Connecting Threads though. I haven't bought from Keepsake but have heard good things.

Watch out for FQ's at Joann's, though...some are decent quality but in my experience the vast majority of the FQ's there are terrible - very thin, meshy weaves that you can see right through. Joann's gets a lot of hate but I like the store, generally speaking...but I agree with the haters when it comes to their FQ's.

our shop sell FQ's for $3.25 each or 10 for $30.00

I found a really cute print, either at JoAnn's or Hancocks for 99 cents. It was like cheesecloth. When I see these prices now I look the other way. The only way I'll buy something like that is in the remnant bin. There you find every kind of fabric and you can look carefully to see if it is good stuff.

I will only buy FQ if I need just a small bit of a specific color (usually for a pocket on a bag). But I will never pay $3 for a FQ. Way too expensive for a scrap of fabric that was a bolt end/remnant. You are way better off buying yardage.

One question you should ask yourself, is why you want fat quarters. Are you making something that requires fat quarters? A lot of people build a stash with the left overs of quilts they have made. Be careful you don't become just a fabric buyer.

fat quarter pricing
 

I too live in Washington state, the Northwest. I will not pay over $2.25 a fat quarter. If I really like it and I'm buying it at a QS, I will pay more.

$3.00 for a fat qtr. is NUTS. That equals $24.00 per yard. You can't be the pricing at Connecting Threads although their selection is limited. They DO NOT CHARGE for the labor to cut these specialty cuts.

How are you figuring that?

hugs,
Charlotte