Be Honest With Yourself (& Us)-Where Do You Actually Purchase Your Fabric?
 

I been away for a long while. Not that I forgotten all of you my online "family." I am now in the physical production of my yearly supply of new quilts for the Late Fall/Winter/Early Spring seasons. Yesterday while I was in the middle of patchwork assembly, I came up this new topic. Not only just fabric purchasing chain store vs. LQS or the like. But do you separate the types of quilts everyday utilitarian ones from the best occasion gift-ish "Sunday" ones by fabric selection from these sources.

For myself, I no longer give away quilts as gifts. Never very appreciated anyway in my personal experience. Plus the major financial and time expense for something so precious and time comsuming & costly! Best quilts require more storage space than I have available. right now. The utilitarian ones do not require any special space or treatment and last & last just as much as the better store's ones-with careful selection at the time of purchase. Although I do fancy quilts (with the resulting trips to the fine LQS pr similar fabric stores) at times for tiny projects right now.

What is your personal experience with fabric selection and quilting style choices by these constraints?

The body of your post doesn't really match your question, forgive me if I'm not seeing it.
I mostly buy online, and I know the brands I like so I don't get surprises. I only go to quilt shops when I'm out of town, mostly.

JoAnn's mostly but I have bought from Hobby Lobby also.

I don't have constraints. I have fabric from JoAnns, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, LQSs, thrift stores, garage sales, and many online vendors. I don't discriminate when making a quilt(like saving the "good stuff" only for special quilts). I see a pattern I want to make and choose the fabrics based on what colors I think will look good, not where the fabrics came from. I don't make show quilts, I make quilts to be used up and worn out no matter how beautiful(or not) they are when I make them. I put the same care and effort into everything I make whether it's for donation or intended to be a future family heirloom.

Cari

I buy most of my fabric from online stores. I do have a LQS, not very far from my home, actually I can walk there .... lol ..... not good for my pocketbook at times. I will occasionally buy fabric there but mostly I go there for their monthly sew-ins.

Now as far as my quilts go .... hmmmm ... I do give many of my quilts away to family. I don't categorize my quilts as "every day" or "special gift" quilts. I make a quilt because I like the pattern or some fabrics spoke to me. If one of my daughters or other family members say ...... oh that looks nice or those are my colors, that quilt usually becomes theirs. I make quilts because it makes me happy and I give them away because that also makes me happy.

Since I managed a LQS most of my stash is from there. Now that I am retired and $$ is in short supply am now sewing from my stash. On some quilts, I don't have all the colors that are needed so a trip to the LQS or online shopping. I stick with fabric vendor that I like and most likely order Moda, Marcus Brothers, RJR, etc. I have shopped at Walmart or JoAnns for novelty fabrics but mostly for Notions and sewing supplies. Only one of my quilts is hand quilted most of the others are either tied or machine quilted. Most of my quilts are donated to friends and or family members. I have five that I rotate on my beds.
I am not a fabric snob, it's just that thread count matters and I don't like a lot of sizing on my fabrics, I just like the hand of some fabrics more that others.
Fabric costs are a factor in what I buy and mostly shop sales.

You said what I would have said. I made my then 7 year old grandson a bedspread from Walmart $2 cheapo cotton. He turns 18 in December and is still using it. I probably have to put a new binding on it soon, though. He told me he loved it because he watched me make it.

The quality of the fabric makes no difference when a child sees love in a quilt.

Just to be clear, you are asking if the end use of a quilt influences where I purchase the supplies for a quilt?

No.

It is interesting, where I live the chain fabric store, Fabricland, has a quilt shop inside of it. So they sell their discount quilting fabric, as well, in a nearby section, they sell LQS brand quality fabrics. I buy more from the LQS side, as the colours, prints and fabric quality appeal to me. As well I frequent 5 LQS within an hours drive of my home.

Walmart does not sell much fabric in my town anymore, they just have a few precuts and they are coarse material, I would not use them for any project.

It is rare to find quilting fabric at thrift shops, but I have found a few pieces and picked them up.

Now what do I quilt?

Family quilts, couch quilts, pet quilts. If I am making a beach quilt, I would use the same quality fabrics that I use on a bed quilt or a gift.

If I am needing a certain fabric or color I buy from Hobby Lobby or Walmart. But most of my stash are thrift store finds that I buy whenever I see something I like.

I buy mostly for my stash, and then pull out fabric depending on the quilt I'm wanting to make.

So it's rare that I even have something specific in mind when I'm buying fabric, so no - the end product has very little affect on my buying decisions.

I also buy fabric where I find it, thrift, garage sales, online, LQS local and while I'm traveling, and warehouse places like SR Harris or Marshalls.

I have about 10 years until retirement, my kids are both far enough along to need no financial support. So I'm at the point in life I have the most disposable income ever and am enjoying buying fabric for the joy of buying it. I know this won't last, but I hope to have a huge stash by that time.

All of what Cari said except for the garage sales and thrift stores.

I rarely frequent the LQS, especially since I've retired. Prior to retiring, I only bought at the LQS when they had a sale. We have a couple of outlets in the area that carry name brand quilting fabric. I primarily shop there. I also shop at Hobby Lobby fairly regularly and at JAs occasionally. I buy most of my thread, batting and miscellanous stuff at Walmart. My closest Walmart has a terrible fabric department. I only buy online when I need something specific I can't find locally or it's a really good price and quality of "I spy" fabrics.

I confess to buying fabric at estate sales, but most of that has ended up being donated. I rarely find anything at a thrift store.

bkay

I buy from Marshall's Dry Goods. Name brand quilt shop quality fabric $2.98 - $3.98 a yard by the bolt. Or I buy cut yardage from the front of the store for a little more per yard. I live a couple hours from the store. The $1 table has many great finds of yardage, some with flaws but easy to cut around those. Sometimes I find great yardage of name brands for $1 a yard sometimes not. It's fun to look through it! I haven't bought fabric from Walmart since they stopped selling David's Textile fabric. That was really nice fabric. I buy kits and pre cuts from Connecting Threads, Fat Quarter shop, and MSQC. I make the quilts from the patterns I like and the fabric colors I like. I don't custom make anyone a quilt. If a family member asks for the quilt I'm making I give it to them. I do make fun quilts from characters my young grands like. Working on Spiderman and dinosaur quilts now.

Ditto, Cari

Joanns mostly. Followed by quilt shops, HL and WM, depending on where I can find what I like. I have a couple shops I will buy from because they are super nice and their prices reasonable, unfortunately they a 45min/ hour drive away. The LQS near me, not so friendly so I avoid them. I have quilts made from WM fabric that are going strong after 20-30 years and had some with LQS fabric that wore and frayed. It;s not so much where you buy your fabric but the quality of the fabric you buy

Not sure what "constraints" you are talking about, unless cost of fabric. I have collected a nice sized stash so I never need to go out and shop in order to make a quilt. I do shop, but just to add to the stash, usually, and only when I find good deals.

I've discovered a great place to shop for nice fabric... Facebook! There are all kinds of "fabric destashing" pages where you can shop or list your fabric for sale. If you are sick of some of your fabrics, sell them and buy others that you like better. You can find some real good deals there.

I buy from LQS almost exclusively. I buy online from sites I like when I am buying a group of colors and don't need to see them personally to choose the exact colors. I do sometimes use men's plaid shirts from thrift stores. I only buy fusible and interfacing from JoAnns. If I receive fabric in a swap or something and that fabric is scratchy or thin, I toss it.

I don't have any LQS nearby ... nothing at all, even my Wal-Mart no longer carries fabrics ... so I order online. I check sales, and promotional discounts. I make all my quilts to the best of my abilities. I never even consider who will be getting the quilt ... If at the end, it goes to such-and-such a person, so be it ... For me, it's the satisfaction I get from doing it and learning something new along the way. I'm retired, so on fixed income. It's my choice to buy good fabrics that will give me joy in making the quilt.

I'm with Cari and Jane. I shop where and when I can. Price is a huge decider. I have no problem repurposing a 100% cotton sheet from a thrift store. My nearest LQS is 17 km. and honestly, it does not have a huge selection but does offer some nice classes. Shopping online is wonderful until I get to the shipping costs--which can be prohibitive. If I am going 'to the city', I make a point of hitting every fabric venue I possibly can. Those trips are 100km or more one way--yeah I live in the boonies.

I buy most of my fabric from quilt shops - both near home and online. I don't ordinarily make 'gift quilts' any longer except for young members of my extended family. They often get non-quilt shop fabric because I include a lot of novelty stuff not found at quilt shops. Price isn't really a consideration. I have tons of fabric, so only buy stuff for backgrounds.

I have bought some fabrics at Walmart.Hobby Lobby,Joanns mainly. Some from Connecting Threads. I go to my stash and pick according to the colors I want to use for the quilt I have picked out or made up. I don't make heirloom or utilitarian quilts, I make them to be used.
I have about 25-30 quilts I want to keep right now, may change my mind at some point. I have 4 or 5 for our bed and plan on making a couple more.

I have given away much more than that to our kids, Grandkids and Great Grandkids.

Since they all have all they want I donate quilts to food pantry and now kids in Foster care.

I love to make quilts and no reason to store them if someone can use them.

Most of my stash comes from: Hancocks and Mill End Textiles, both now closed. Joanns, SR Harris (fabric warehouse), and a tiny bit from Walmart, and Hobby Lobby. Very little from LQS. I have ordered some panels and fabric on line, but not much. My quilting friend gives me fabric she'll "never" use. I give away quilts all the time. I love making them and make them to be used. Where the fabric comes from doesn't matter. I have only kept one quilt and about a dozen wall hangings. I have another quilt I'm working on just for me.

I have a huge stash so I mostly shop for go-withs. I do buy fabrics that strike me at Quilt Festival or occasionally from online shops. I don't buy much from Joann and have never bought from Hobby Lobby. I'm allergic to Walmart and haven't been to one in year despite living a couple miles from one.

I do have some silks that I bought that are reserved for wearable art because I don't like using them in quilts that are going to be used and washed a lot as all of my quilts are.

I sell most of the quilts that I make. I do machine applique and my stash is at least 75% batiks. I buy from my LQS which sells Hoffman batiks for $8.99 a yard (except widebacks). I also mail order from SewBatiks.

I love all the local quilt shops (LQS) and try to patronize all of them. I buy something.....even a box of pins...to keep them in business. I love going and looking and seeing what is going on. So I don't want any of them to close.

Of course, I am totally blessed as Lolly's, Yoder's, Zinck's, Spectors and others are my local ones. I also like the Quilt shop at Essenhause in MIddlebury, IN. But I also shop on line at MSQC, etsy, where ever, what ever.

Marcia

Iona, I am curious...you state you are in yearly production of some quilts but you don’t give them as gifts? Do you keep each of your quilts?

I have been leisurely quilting for about 7 years but I have yet to keep one of my quilts and the majority of the quilts I make have someone in mind to gift, unless it is for charity. Now that I have recently sold one of my retail businesses, I hope to make a few for home.

I am fortunate to have three LQS within 15 minutes of my home so that is where I get the most of my fabric. I also visit quilt shops when I travel and attend quilt shows. I have occasionally ordered on line from Connecting Threads and MSQ, and sometimes when I need large backing pieces.

Fabric.com and Hancock's Paducah.

Like Cari, I also purchase my fabrics at JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart and thrift stores, but I also buy quite a bit of fabrics on e-Bay.

Since the Only LQS near me has downsized and now only sells sewing machines and notions I now shop either JoAnn s or online especially Amazon. I have a medium sized stash. A lot of my stash is fabric that I won from Fabshophop, or bought 10 or more years ago when I was still working and didn't have much time to sew. I never really understood the people who say to only use "quilt shop quality" fabrics. If you are a new quilter I think Joann's, Walmart, Garage sale, Goodwill, bed sheets, etc. makes more sense than spending $15 a yard. Or if sewing for kids or dogs or anyone! I hate to spend a lot of time and money making a quilt for someone who would just as soon buy a ready made quilt from Wal-Mart for $50. I've made a lot of things using cheap fabrics and they have turned out fine.








has downsized and only sells

Another ditto from me, for what Cari said!

The ONLY fabric that I treat as extra special are fabrics that have come from the clothing of deceased family members. Those fabrics are priceless to me, and utterly irreplaceable, so I am very careful with those.

But everything else is equal in my eyes, whether I bought it full price at a LQS or picked it up off of the free table at a guild meeting. I do horde some fabrics for myself, but that has more to do with the print, the color, or where I bought it (souvenir from a special trip) than anything else.

When I buy fabric, it is usually just for stash. I see what colors I need and look for them to fill in any holes. So, when I decide on a quilt, then anything goes if it's on the shelf. I do not like cheap feeling fabric, so I would say that there is very little of that regardless of where I bought it or what I paid for it. All of my quilt are made to be used - I honestly don't give a flip if they are still around 20 years from now or not.

I only use fabric that I determine to be good quality. My fabric comes from quilt shops, friends stashes, yard sales of former quilters, and the sale tables at my quilt guilds. Rarely, I will go to JoAnn's. I treat all of my quilts as special. If they have a lot of embroidery or they are art quilts, I will only display them on walls. My charity quilts are as good as the ones that I use in my house.

I buy fabric where ever I see something that catches my attention. Can be online or quilt shops. I am also blessed with having a great friend who always down sizes and will give me what she calls scraps and I call treasures. Denise

I buy where I can get the best sales. I sell most of what I make, so I need to make sure I can keep the cost down. Normally I make lap or throw size (very, very difficult to recoup costs with a larger quilt) and I keep the patterns down to a simpler block. I 'try out' more complex or new blocks on table runners, tote bags or wall hangings. That way they are not taking an outrageous amount of time. The only time I am 'particular' about the fabric is when I am making a quilt as a gift. But, it is not so much the cost as I look for that particular fabric that grabs me and will mean something for the person. This is often the only time I buy at a LQS. I can usually find my focus fabric there and only buy that amount. Unfortunately, LQS's are just too expensive. Often their fabric is available from an online store and even with shipping, it is cheaper.

I used to buy from Connecting Threads mostly and occasionally from Hancock of Paducah when they had a good sale. Lately I've been hitting the fabric stores in my area to help keep them from closing up on us. At the moment I have way too much fabric so have put a "STOP" on myself until I use some of it up. I'm at the point I have no where to stash it so that's a good sign I need to use it or lose it.

I buy fabric wherever I find it and like it. I often see fabric at Walmart that I saw at Joann's. Sometimes I find good stuff at thrift stores and yard sales. I order on-line. So I guess my answer is anywhere and everywhere.

I try to use "good" fabric for whatever I make. However, there are some fabrics that I do consider to be "more special" than others -

However, "good" and "expensive" are not necessarily synonymous when I look at the fabrics I have.

Some of the fabrics that I paid compratively little for as as nice or nicer than some of the LQS fabrics available now.

However - most of my fabric purchases are from over ten years ago, so I mostly shop my stash now. When I was buying, I hit almost every place that sold fabric from about a 50 mile radius of my home.

As a side note - some thin/sheer cotton batiste (that is tightly woven) - I paid over $12.00 a yard for about 16 years ago.

So when people say "thin" - in my mind, that may or may not be something like surgical gauze.

A question to add to your questions:

For those that sell things - If a fabric has been marked down - do you consider the "original" price or the price you actually paid for it when you are pricing your merchandise?

I think it is reasonable to consider "replacement value" for imaterials used when pricing things.

I just pur based some beautiful precuts from Tuesday Morning. Original price was about $22 and the Tuesday Morning price was $6.99!

I have a large stash and rarely finish a project. Is there a special word used to identify such a "quilter"? I prefer not to be called a fabricholic or hoarder of fabric, but am sure there are others like me and wonder if already is a different term used to identify us. If not, any suggestions?

Mostly online and LQS, joanns. Ocassionally hobby lobby. Walmart for practice samples