Good Fabric
 

Will someone please help me???? I should have asked this question long ago. How do I tell if the fabric is of good quality? I get so confused. Thanks for your help.:confused:

I look for a tight weave and the dye goes all the way through and does not just sit on top. I like a nice weight not to thin. When I hold it up and can see light through it I usually will not buy it. Try looking at some of the top designers and study that fabric and look for those same quality in other fabrics you want to buy.

I crumple some in my hands off the bolt - if it creases badly, I move on.

Cheers, K

If I can see my hand under it, the weave is too loose and it won't work.

The weave and the feel of the fabric tell it for me. I'm a batik gal so the tighter the weave the better. I also check to see if it is the same on the front and the back. Lately there have been some fabrics that have been passed off as batiks but there is definitely a back and front.

Cotton Basics
 

To understand 100 Percent COTTON fabrics, start with the basics: muslin and solids. Muslin comes in many qualities (low price to higher price) plus different colors: (bleached white/Natural/Cream/Tea-Dyed). You want Premium Muslin, which usually means 128 threads per inch, both lengthwise, and crosswise. Do not buy cheap flimsy muslin with thread counts of 60 or lower. For Solid Fabrics, there are two brand names that I would start with as a beginning quilter: KONA Solids or Bella. These come in more than 100 colors, to match anything that you can imagine. KONA threads are thicker so there is a lower thread count, while Bella seems to be a finer weave, but both are very dependable and very good quality. To buy fabrics, go to a good Fabric Store where the shopkeeper will explain things to you. Ask questions. Take a class. And most of all, have fun.

Thank you all so much. I have to usually buy online because we don't have a LQS here. We have a chain store, but I have bought some pretty cheap looking fabric there and don't buy it anymore. Thank you thank you thank you.:thumbup:

I depend on name brands and then the feel of the fabric. I, too, purchase fabric on-line, but have not always been satisfied.

What a great idea for a beginner Tartan. I was surprised at the difference in quality and color when I compared the Kona black fabric I bought at that fabric chain store and recently purchased Kona black from Hancock of Paducah !! The color was richer and the weave was so much better.