I"m glad to see there are others shopping local to keep the LQS's in business. I try to hit the one near my house regularly and buy *something* even if it's small. They do carry some nice wide quilt backing and some nice batiks so when I need those items I definitely buy from them.

I've also discovered a Bernina store/LQS that while not really close to me has awesome fabrics. I plan to make a trip out there just to shop after the holidays.

Last fabric purchase I made was from thrift store - vintage fabric which I will use on back of a quilt. A quilting friend destashed since she only does applique now and I ended up with 2 kits and a bolt of Moda. My stash is huge (lots of yardage and bolts) and I am trying to and use what I have. I purchase stuff like notions, stabilizer, interfacing from JoAnn or Hobby Lobby. LQS are scarce in the area. My home town 85 miles away has 3 LQS and I try to stop in my favorite when I visit family. When visiting my sister in the Portland, OR area, I try to stop at Fabric Depot, especially when there is a sale and always hit the "cheap seats" (clearance). Sale plus the "land of no tax" means I save an additional 10.3% on sales tax.

I guess I have been lucky - every quilt I have given away has been appreciated - some more than I would have expected. I have a large stash and buy mostly online. LQS that I used to go to regularly has downsized and has very little choice - since it is not that close I don't bother to make the trip - might stop in if I was in the area.

I buy what I like - doesn't matter which store. I've shopped at LQS, Walmart, Jo-Ann, Hobby Lobby, Ben Franklin, Marden's (Maine), thrift stores, garage sales, freebie from guild members and sometimes online. If I like it and it is what I need, I buy it. I usually don't buy online (unless I know exactly what I want - brand, color, etc.) because I like to feel the fabric before I buy.

I do it all! LQS, Hancock of Paducah online, Fabric. Com. Walmart here has Waverly which is nice, Hobby Lobby for Kona. I have a very large stashthat I dearly love. I am never going to use it all but I am trying though it grows. Friends call and we are off on a road trip to yet another store. Fabric is my passion and I clean out and donate often. I love shopping in my own fabrics.

I put the same time, effort, quality fabrics and care into gift quilts as I do utilitarian quilts.

I've purchased quality fabric from many sources ranging anywhere from the 5&10 of years ago to JoAnn's to the Fabric Shack to on-line to LQS's.....price doesn't always indicate quality .

Quilt fabric here is quite expensive and the few LQS have little choice of variety. I buy always online from the USA I used to buy several shops, some closed or stopped doing international shipping. The last years I buy at www.equilter.com they have many variety of fabrics and good sales. I have certain favorite brands and use those and sometimes others. I look first at colors/prints/designs. I can only mail order below 22 euro small orders if I order more I have to pay extra tax and costs and customs etc.

I buy from local quilt shops, Joann's and online.

I agree why put a Yoke around your neck !!!! If I like it doesn't matter WHO is sell it if the price is right. Why would any quilter who sews for the Love of sewing make one better than the other ????? I make them to share I very seldom sell a quilt?? I have been sewing & quilting for over 64 yrs..Most times I never use a pattern. I draw my quilts our on graph paper then decided what type of block or blocks will go in to the body. That's the way My Grandma & My Maw taught me on a treadle . I sew the same way ... But I learned from a long line of Quilters with More hands on Knowledge ... My Life was Blessed .

This is what I do with the exception of Walmart. Unfortunately my Walmart has very low quality fabric but the other places mentioned serve me well. And I also like to know that my quilts are being used, not just stored away.

Bear, you make a good point. I do not sell, nor do I anticipate selling in the future. If I did, I would charge based on the cost of replacing the fabric today, not the sale price. I also would consider the replacement cost of donated fabrics.

When I gift a quilt it is done with no strings attached. If a friend wants to use a quilt on her dog bed, that is okay with me.

I have a cousin in law who gives home made gifts, then gets upset if they are not displayed or used in the manner she intended. It causes stress in the family. She spends a huge amount of time and money on gift making and is very talented, but she often does not take into consideration the recipients taste, needs, lifestyle etc.

I am planning to make a dear friend a quilt for her 50th next year. She and I have very different tastes. I love bold colour and print, she loves soft colours and pink. I plan to make two quilts and let her choose which one she would like to have. One will be pinks, with a indigo/purple background, the other sherbet colours with white done as hst. I cannot make a quilt without putting a bit of me into it.

I buy from the only LQS in town, online (Hancock’s of Paducah) and I’m lucky enough to live about an hour from Hamilton, MO, so I make the trip for an all day shopping spree frequently.

This is a learning opportunity for her! No one needs to change their lifestyle to accommodate her gift. If she doesn't approve of how they use it, (or don't use it), she can stop gifting them. The stress should be hers until she learns how to give a gift with no strings.

I have bought mostly from one high end quilt and clothing store in a small Nova Scotia town that has imported gorgeous high end fabrics for years, and I have a huge stash to match which I am only starting to tackle now that I am retired! I have figured out that I will have to live to 100 to use up all the gorgeous fabrics for gorgeous quilts. The thought that I had lovingly collected these fabrics has started me on a quilting tear. From 1 quilt one year ago I have now finished about 10, two of them lovely kits from Craftsy. I try to buy locally -- want to keep those stores in business.

I've only been quilting for going on three years now, so I do not have much of a stash. I tend to buy fabric for specific quilting projects, and I buy brands I like: Moda, especially, Kaufman Metallics, Hoffman, Wilmington, Marcus Brothers -these are some of my favorites. I just finished piecing a top and backing for a reversible quilt featuring acoustic and electric guitars; the fabric designs (background is black) are perfect for the lap quilt/throw I am making as a Christmas gift for my son; the fabric is by Timeless Treasures, and it turned out to be a joy to work with. I had never bought this brand before, but the reviews I've read are really good. I shop almost exclusively online - I buy from Fabric.com, Hancock's of Paducah, Jordan Fabrics, and Fat Quarter Shop, primarily. The closest local quilt shop to me is not convenient, as I do little driving, and my favorite brands are not carried there; even if they were, the prices are just too high for my retirement-driven budget! I tend to buy material for borders, sashing, and backing from Joann's; I've found their "quilt-quality" fabric to be acceptable for these purposes. I also have found some acceptable fabric there for my charity quilts, and I can find some acceptable flannel for children's rag quilts. There is always a sale going on, so things usually work out.

Sorry about that! I should have edited more carefully before submission.

I was asking a rather open ended questions sprinkled with my own viewpoints & practices. Actually there is no right/wrong answer for all. Just be honest with yourselves! Somehow, it might be carried over in your quilting, no matter the fabric's original sources are!

Constraints to me means mostly financial concerns. With a rare splash of fabric selection of color, pattern, and/or simple personal appeal.

Both of my sons have quilts I made over 15 years ago. They have been used at for picnics and camping, to cower under during scary movies, and comfort a sick puppy. Neither of them cares if the seams match, where I bought the fabric, or that they are faded, threadbare, and have been patched more than once. They won't give them up for anything.

Those are my best quilts! :)

There are no Joanns, no Hobby Lobbys and no 'fabric in Walmart' here in my neck of the woods. I shop at the LQS, especially when I have a coupon or there is a 25% off sale. That doesn't happen too often.

I have built up my stash by visiting quilt shops wherever we travel. I LOVE Faye's Henhouse in North Dakota. I have found many lovely shops in Indiana while visiting a friend who lives just out side of Fort Wayne. I also found some neat quilt shops and fabric stores while cruising around the Hawaiian Islands. Hub and I stayed in Nashville en route to Florida and we did NOT take in any shows, but we did visit quilt shops!

It's so much fun to shop in a new place where there is 'different stuff' even though our Canadian dollar doesn't convert well to the US $.

I don't shop on line much anymore. But I like Connecting Threads, Hawthorne Threads and fabric.com.

We have 3 LSQ in our rural county and I try to shop at all, although I LAQ some samples for one so purchase more there or we trade. I also purchase online from eQuilter, Quilt Fabric Closeouts, Fabric Fanatics, MSQC, Connecting Threads, I'll also purchase from our local Walmart and a nearby city JoAnn's. Wish Hancocks was still around!

You are a lucky lady nstitches.

A road trip to MSQC is one of the few things on my bucket list. I have checked and it is about a 30 hour drive from my home. Yes, I would drive, I love a good road trip. I would try to go for one of their retreats, plus make many stops along the way. Is there a quilters atlas of North America?

Maybe in 2019 when I graduate from university. It will depend though I may be breeding my dog in 2019, if I do I will have to stay close to home.

I purchase from my local quilt shop, other quilt shops when visiting and on line shops. I’ve not had very good luck with the ( big box stores—ie: Joanne’s, hobby lobby, Walmart etc.)
so I avoid them .

I buy from JAF mainly, when I can make a trip to the US.

I also buy from Fabricland when they have their 40% off sale and I always buy something from our LQS's when I am nearby.

I'm really torn because, while I would love to support our local stores more, I can't afford to pay $26.00 a metre for batiks and $18.00 a metre (plus tax) for cottons here. So, I feel guilty that I buy in the States, but the option is not to buy what I want/need for my hobby.

As to what I use in each quilt, I use whatever the quilt calls for. In most of my quilts I have a mix of both really "nice" fabric and maybe some lower end stuff that I liked the look of.

Watson

I really dislike shopping, so most of mine is done online. Marshall Dry Goods is my go-to online store--I often buy from their wholesale side. I have a friend who sells on Facebook, so I get some there as well. I have a big stash (in a small house!), so I rarely buy much anymore.

A quilting dabbler? You dabble in quilting? That was my favorite badge in Girl Scouts, once upon a time. I got to try all kinds of art techniques. Loved it. Currently, I am working hard to graduate from the ranks of dabbler to finisher.

The vast majority of my stash is from local quilt shops, I found that my older Joann's fabrics were too thin and stiff to work well, so I donated those fabrics and never went back. Now that money is tighter, I shop from my stash! About the only thing I buy is a blender fabric to go with whatever i already have

I live/sew/quilt by this simple ideal:
If if is 100% Cotton (for quilts & some apparel) good quality for other sorts of sewing projects) and feels good in the hand, I will use it.

I have been active in the sewing world for about 50 years. I saw the decline & end of secondary level public school access Home Economics classes (and the resulting difficulty) in finding/receiving the necessary training to basically sew for most anyone. I was lucky enough to enroll in a community college for one of the last offered professional sewing courses in my early 20s. Which led me to enter the fashion world for pay during most of my working life. Before the industry moved overseas for the most part.

The ability to sew and quilt in a professional matter using just basic rudimentary equipment like Straight maybe Zig Zag stitches only mechanical single lock stitch sewing machines, simple inexpensive notions, and techniques was the norm in the garment/soft furnishing sewing rooms & studios. The fancy stuff and the finer end of the sewing world is very nice, but completely out of my reach now. It is one's knowledge and skill which makes the critical difference of any given project starting with fabric selection. Pricing in of itself does not necessarily guarantee quality. Or the sewing centers/fabric stores" overly cute gimmicky decorations. That is the secret which the fashion sewing industry does not want to get out in public!

If you keep that thought in mind every time you sew, your projects will be successful!

I was thinking of & referring to the actual sewing time frame I am somewhat restricted to. I live in Los Angeles CA. During the summer (and even right now in late Fall), it could get very hot. During the hot parts of the year, I am limited to just selecting/purchasing mostly remnants-bolt ends-clearance fabrics, from which I chose my favorite colors/patterns or solid, design my usually patchwork top, then pre-wash, sort and bundle the fabrics sets together into waiting plastic bins for temporary storage-though sometimes it might take a long while to get around to a given fabric.

The actual production of cutting, sewing and trimming/pressing does not happen until the temperature is below 80 or so degrees F. Simply since my living/working space does not have A/C and can be very uncomfortable to work in. I make at least a couple of rag quilts (my favorite quilting style & speciality) a year. The ones that don't survive my 2 miniature pinschers are recycled into dog/cat bedding anyway. That's why I stick to medium level Joann's 100% cotton flannel fabrics.

I will leave a couple of photos of my 2 little devil dogs and decide for yourselves.

In signing off this particular thread, I am expanding these thoughts further and onward on another thread with the free documentary, The Rag Quilt Project Documentary. Go to the new thread for the direct link to this wonderful little over 20 minutes video! You will appreciate what you have to work with no matter what you have or know about quilting/sewing!

The Rag Quilt Project Documentary-A Must See!

https://www.quiltingboard.com/links-...ml#post7950393

I too have a stash that is too darn big--so I usually make sure I use some of that fabric then, I buy the "go with 'ems" as my mother used to say. In general, I check JoAnne's first, then go to my LQS. In general, I do make sure to buy from the LQS as often as I can afford to do it...I know the truth is that if we don't support them...they don't stay in business...and frankly JoAnns' fabric isn't great quality.

both the web stores and my LQS, just came back with enough fabric for large quilt, black Friday prices, great!

As a general rule, I try to frequent area LQS's. With that said, however, I'm really blessed (or maybe cursed?) because there are SO MANY here in the Carolina's. We actually have three different "sets" of Shop Hops - one for the western parts of NC/SC, one for the Central (Piedmont) section, and one for the Coastal areas. Each hop has between 13-18 shops. So, I have several that area either close by, or on my daily commute to work.
I also have a Hobby Lobby and Joann's in my area.
Then you have to also know that I have Mary Jo's (aka "Quilters Heaven") and Foust Textiles (a wholesaler that does "open to public" twice a year).

Occasionally, I buy online as well. But I try to frequent my LQS's so that they can stay in business.

The source does not determine what I make from the fabric, nor does it determine who gets the resulting quilt.

I have two grandchildren ( 3 years old and 18 months) and both of them have 3-4 quilts each already. Family members have several quilts.
I usually try to have "extras" on hand, especially baby quilts or children's themed quilts, for unexpected gifts.

And while I would be upset if someone gave one of my gifted quilts to their dog, I don't care how they use them otherwise - picnic, everyday, or whatever. I gifted them to be used. Most people who get one of my quilts are aware of the work and expense involved in quilting, so I seldom find my quilts in the dog's bed.
One that was gifted to a friend for her new baby, only lets him play with the quilt in such a way that it stays pristine (it's a "5 Little Monkeys" embroidered quilt). He loves it, and has learned his first 5 numbers and many colors from it. He's 6 now, and the quilt is still in like-new condition.
As a contrast, I made my very first quilt for my daughter when I was pregnant with her... and she uses it now for her baby girl. It's showing it's age and wear and tear, and I may re-do the binding when I'm there at Christmas. But I know that BOTH quilts are very well loved.

Sometimes, I have a particular pattern in mind for a particular person, so in that sense, the fabric is specific. But otherwise, it's just whatever pattern I like in whatever colors I like.

I buy fabrics at online quilt shops, my local quilt shops, GoodWill & thrift shops. I usually buy when there's sales over 30%. I make mostly scrappy quilts, so I get up to 3 yards at a time, then only need to buy backing for quilts when it's time or make them reversible.

Starting Nov. 27th all regular priced merchandise will be 45% off. Fat
quarters are $1. There are other fabrics, books, and patterns marked down
more. Mon- Fri 10AM to 4:30PM Sat 10AM to 1:30 Carol Trumbull The Sampler Chariton, Iowa. Closing her shop and retiring. That is when I love to shop. So sorry to see her close her shop; loved shopping there.

The Sewing Studio Fabric Superstore in Maitland Fl.