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.

If you only buy online, just go to reputable companies. Understand that the per yard price of the good stuff is now over $9. I would look for certain manufacturers - personally I like Moda, RJR, Marcus, Timeless Treasures, Kaufman and Benartex. You can get some good deals on Etsy on quilting fabrics if you look for them by manufacturer.

Why are some fabric backs a white or creamy color? I've had/have some and seems like really nice fabric-of coarse it's not been washed yet.

Read the label on the bolt. Look for 100 percent cotton. Then just feel it. If it feels kinda thin or fragile, don't buy it. You will learn with experience what fabrics are okay and which you need to leave at the store.

I find buying on line a challenge too. That which I have purchased has been good quality but I find it hard to match colors, get a "feel" for the size of the print and such. I rarely purchase fabrics that are of the same line/design but if you do the color matching would be much easier. I don't live near a good fabric shop and quilt shops are few and far between so I have a quilt "kitty" that I keep money in and when we travel somewhere, even if it's a day trip, I always seek out quilt shops and buy fabric there. By saving ahead it's not such a shock to my pocketbook. I crumple to see how easily it wrinkles, take swatches of things I'm trying to match, feel to see how smooth and silky it is (good quality fabric with a higher thread count has that feel) listen to my heart to see if the fabric speaks to me, and spend a lot of time himming and hawing trying to decide. Fortunately my husband is understanding plus he knows that I am going to spend time with him going through car lots, car shows and car museums in return!

I spent 5 years in nowhere North Carolina. Loved the people and area, not the shopping and conveniences. Our county was so small and remote, we had no fast food in the county and no pizza places - not even gas station pizza.

Anyway, find a couple of good places on-line and stay with them. I usually purchased from Hobby Lobby, Fabric.com, Hancock's of Paducah and Connecting Threads. Your best bet might be to invest in some color cards. These are manufactured by the larger fabric companies with actually pieces of their fabrics. The one I use the most - still - is my Moda chart. This makes it so much easier to find that exact right color to go with fabrics I have in hand. I have also make a "sample card" set for Connecting Threads basics. I purchased charm packs of all of the basics, spent a little time marking the squares with their names and numbers. Now I can easily match and order the perfect match for my projects.

Hope this helps.

I think the 'hand' (feel) of the fabric is important. If it is stiff it usually has a lot of clay filler in it which will wash away and make the fabric limp. Sometimes the shrinkage in the low twist yarns in these fabrics is to your advantage because it makes the thread count higher and the yarns more compact-however, you lose inches to the shrinkage. But, to me, one of the most important features of good quality fabrics is clear (not muddy) colors and distinct print technique. Sometimes the print is not correctly registered in the printing process and the design is not sharp and distinct.

I don't understand the seeing my hand under the fabric thing. I can see my hand through every fabric I have, even the best brand name ones like Jenny Beyer, Northcott, and Cherrywood, The batiks are the exceptions, sometimes. I go by feel and tugging.

grab a hunk of fabric, rub it hard between you hands. You can pretty much tel the quality this way, if it gets really wrinkled or limp, it's not too good.

Thank you....I do buy from Etsy and I do order Moda. I'm glad to know that I have made a good choice.

Things like wrinkling, seeing light through, and light and dark sides to fabrics are great indicators of quality or lack thereof. BUT as you handle more and more fabrics, your fingers will begin to recognize fabrics with the perfect "hand" or feel for quilting.
I have actually bought fabrics that looked awful sitting in my stash and the minute I touched them I knew why I bought them. QQQ, Quilting Queen Quality - a feel to the cotton that transcends even its color or print. Of course, its much nicer when it's found in fabrics that play well with my colorways. Find a cheap fabric (like cheap cotton at Walmart or similar) and you can feel the rough, coarseness of the piece. Hint, some higher priced pieces feel similar. Let your hands teach you!

If by "fabric backs" you mean the wrong side of the fabric, it's because the fabric has been printed on - the printing process is what gives the fabric right side it's color/design/motif. Batiks, on the other hand, do not have a "wrong side" because the process they go thru is a dyed process - the color goes right thru from the right to the wrong side.

This is an excellent question, and there is no 100 % right answer. For instance, I bought a 100% cotton fabric that met all the criteria for a good fabric = weight, hand, color through and through, etc. - except that when I started sewing it, my 1/4" seam frayed away. That really upset me, especially since I paid full price and the fabric was absolutely perfect for the quilt I was using it in.

In my earlier quilting days, I bought some beautiful, thin cottons for quilting because I didn't know what to look for in a fabric. The fabrics were good, but I believe they would qualify as summer shirting fabric, very light weight and easier to see through. Nonetheless, I made quilts from them and the fabrics in the quilts have stood up to 7 years of abuse by my grandsons. The binding is fraying, and there are a few rough spots in them, but the boys don't notice them at all.

connecting threads fabrics are generally good quality and also generally at a lower price. I've purchased from Marshalls dry goods, 1001 bolts and only one nut, fabric.com, etc. and been happy with what I bought.

I shop in the Walmart near me, too. If you are careful you can get some wonderful fabrics at a good price. However, I wouldn't buy from them on line because their fabric quality varies greatly and I can't check it!

Good luck in your search!

First of all, break the bank and buy something like Moda or Thimbleberries fabric. Make a whole quilt out of it.

Then you'll know.

In the future compare the fabrics you see or touch to those you used in that quilt. I guarantee it--you will understand and know the difference.

Learn the manufactures of quality goods and check labels on the ends of bolts... until you get a good sense of the feel in your hand. Once you work with the good stuff , you can't go back.

There is no comparison when you work with good fabric. Has anyone actually sewn with the new American Made fabric from Hancocks of Paducah. I am really curious about it! Would love to support them if the quality is good!

First I "feel" a fabric, is it harsh, rough stiff? Then I hold it up to the light, can I see lots of daylight? If so, put it down and forget it. If it feels like satin, buy it.

If you lose your reference point, this is the solution.

If it feels stiff I pass it up. That means it has too much sizing and after being washed it will be limp and maybe even faded. I also look at the weave to make sure it is straight. I also pay attention to the "up and down" of the print. Fabric where all the print is going in one direction is sometimes very challenging to put in a quilt.

I am concerned about the feel - too heavy? Too stiff?