I've been watching the boards for a while and have learned much! Been away from sewing for many years but trying to get back in. Have found a love for quilting in my return to sewing. The fabrics seem to have changed so much. I read where you are all discussing good and bad fabric. How do you know if you're buying good quality fabric? Weight, feel?

My opinion only here: I would go to a quilt shop first. Feel your way around the store. They have wonderful fabrics.
Oops, sorry- forgot to say WELCOME!!! This board is fabulous!!
You will learn sooooooo much :D

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!
I will feel it, if it has a good feel, not too thin or too stiff. Hold it up to the light, can you see through it? You don't want it real thin.
Stretch it a little, does it really stretch a lot?
Is it printed on the grain or is the printing really off?
Rub it between your fingers, or on a small white cloth, is there any color transfer? if so, put it back.
What is the price? If the regular price is $2-3 per yard, most likely it is not good quality greige goods. If it's on sale for that, that's a whole different story. I love a good sale!!!
I have several brands that I really like and trust and there are some brands out there that I don't even look at any more.

Welcome!

I agree, getting to know brand names gave me the courage to buy on line as well. I have gotten some great deals on line and have always been more then satisfied when my package arrived.

Welcome to the board!

Welcome to the board.
I fall in love with certain fabric lines. I like going to a good online fabric site and checking out all of their new fabrics. You get used to certain manufacturers and it gets easier!

Thank you for your advice. I just took a class at my LQS, so think I'll buy a bit there and buy a bit from big box store, bring them home and play around and compare, wash, etc. I have SO much to learn!

Also, am I seeing a connection between cat lovers and quilters?

Gayle, your advice was a lot more informative than mine !!! :thumbup:
And yes, eliasgran, there seem to be a lot of us who love cats and quilts !! Doggies too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mrgreen:

Welcome aboard. I'm new here too.
Having worked in 2 quilt shops for over 20+ years in Pa. then Iowa I know that only a "real" quilt shop sells quality fabric. Some manufacturers you love and trust and others...not so much! The same applies to quilt shops! (Joann's, Hobby Lobby and Walmart are NOT quilt shops.)Manufactures produce fabric specifically for "quilt shops" and "not to be sold at chain stores".
I prewash and dry all of my fabrics. Good fabric does not fray and tangle excessively when it comes out of the washer.Cheap greige goods come out in a wadded ball of threads. Bare in mind that manufacturers use different quality greige goods for different "fabric lines" so while you may not like one line another may be just what your looking for.

Youbetchya! Cats and quilts...

This is so cool! I feel like my circle of friends has just exploded - I love it - thanks!!

Welcome! You can tell the difference by the way some fabric feels. Some are woven very tight and stiff. Thats pretty good fabric. Woven loosely is cheap. But it's your preference is what counts.

Welcome from SW Iowa. I feel the fabric. Is it thin. No way. Is it beautiful. Go for it. Find what you like and go with that.

Welcome from Ireland

HI and WELcome..! ! ! !!

I am new here too and I could SIT here all day and read....but I want to QUilt...but I want to read....etc.

You catch my drift. YOull see....It will getcha. ! !

Welcome again from massachusetts

Hi and welcome from the sunny state of Florida!!

My best advice is you get what you pay for. Cheap fabric usually won't hold it's color for long, is too thin or too stiff. So far what I have read from the other posts, is right on in my book! For me just feeling the fabric is a good indicator of quality fabric. If you are wanting to make something that will be here for years to come or a baby quilt that will get washed numerous times, go for quality (read more $$$).
Oh yeah. Welcome. You're right, the friendship list just got waaayy bigger!

Hello and Welcome to the board :D:D:D

Welcome from Oklahoma. I would take a good quilting friend and go to Hobby Lobby or Hancocks. Look around and feel the difference in the fabrics. Both of these places have several grades of fabric. Check the feel, the dye in the piece and the price.
I really only go to the quilt shops, I know they are more expensive, but when I make the quilt and hand quilt it, I want to know it will last!

Absolutely, on the connection between cats and quilters. I have three. They are my companions when I sew. Guess they LOVE the thread and all my scraps. I frequently have to go track them down to get back a piece of fabric they have carried off.

As for fabric... if in doubt of something you have purchased, wash it before you use it!

I was at a quilting show here, this past weekend and the lady giving the demo was saying of checking the selvage and the number of color dots on it was a sign, the more the better. I don't know anything of that, but that is what she said.

Hello and welcome. When I first started making quilts a few years ago the price of fabric in my LQS was very off putting, then a friend suggested buying online. Well, when I saw the low prices I was overjoyed, but, its true, you get what you pay for, and some of that fabric wasn't even fit for dusters. Now that I am more familiar with good quality manufacturers I will only buy their fabric on line, and then usually when its on sale. That way I have managed to build my stash up to a decent level with fabric I can trust.

Yes to dogs AND cats. One of my cats was helping me work on a double wedding ring last night; like I wasn't having enough trouble anyway!

:-o :-o

I thought it was only my cat that liked to lay on the quilts that I am putting the binding on. When I am finished, I hang the quilt up in a wide doorway and vacuum off the cats hairs. Some people are allergic to cats. From the looks of the pictures, there are a lot of other people whose cats like the quilts. I got my cat (Callie) after my husband passed away and my daughter thought I needed company. She was right, the cat lays next to whatever I am hand quilting.

Hi, I'm planning a trip to Ireland in August. First time and I'm excited. How's the weather in August and what quilt shops do you recommend?

Definite connection between quilters and animal lovers. My cats want to be right in the middle of things...unless the dogs are close by...then the cats find something high to jump on so they can watch the progress from a safe distance.

When I started out, I just bought what was pretty. I look at some of the older stuff and wonder "What was I thinking?". Some of it is very thin. A few years ago I had made a quilt for my dog. (That's him on the left laying on it). After it had been washed just about 7 times one fabric was pulling away and shredding.

Now, I only buy the good stuff. I want my quilts to last. I check to see if it is soft and has good weight.

I bought some designer fabric on sale recently. It was a sort of check pattern. I wanted to use it in the corners of a quilt, and so the pattern needed to be straight. I was amazed at how "off" it was. It was hard to find a place where I could cut a straight 3-1/2" square of it, and I needed four squares. I got what I needed, but wow! I'll be careful about that in the future. I got this particular fabric online, and so there was no way to know it would come that way. Lesson learned.

Welcome Ellasgran! I love this quilting board. You will learn alot and will become addicted.

Welcome to the Board!! It's very addictive, as I'm sure you'll soon discover. _:-)_ Other information you might check out is threads on this Board about where to shop. Connecting Threads, Keepsake Quilting, etc., are both good but there are certainly others. Use the Search feature at the top to look for shopping or some such.

As for cats and other furry creatures, that's a big YES for a lot of us!! the only way I could get anything done in my sewing room was to add a comfy bed for each kitty (4). And, no shutting them out!! Oh, no!! Rudy (see my avatar) will scream, and I mean SCREAM, outside the door until I let him in. My Squeaky will bull doze the door until it pops open. Very determined, those two. The other two just sit back until "open sesame," then they just walk on in.

hello and welcome.
i also buy trusted brands from trusted online sites. i wait until a good sale with little or no shipping. if i see something i like in a store, but i'm not familiar with the manufacturer, i wrap the fabric tight around my wedding ring. if a see a glimmer of gold, then it's too thin.
remember, though, when you wash fabric the weave does tighten up, so if a fabric is on the edge as far as thickness, prewashing usually solves that problem.

My guy went to a new retail store that carries fabric at a time when I could'nt go. After I teased him for going without me, he said he went thru the fabric dept. "for me" since I wasn't there & he could just see me feeling of all the fabric! I guess it's the thought that counts :lol:

Hello & Welcome!!

Welcome from another Georgian! I know you will enjoy the board as much as everyone else :lol:

Welcome, waving from Indiana, USA

I agree with all the other responses. One tip I would suggest is to buy the cheaper fabric while you're learning. That way, if you mess up badly, you won't be out too much money. When I'm learning a new technique, I'll use a cheaper fabric I have laying around first... then move on to the quality fabric for that project.

Welcome to the group!!

VickiG

I have to add that we dog lovers love to quilt as well.:_)

...also known as QI's -- Quilt Inspectors! The QIs also come in dog, bird, iguana....etc..

rusty

I love all of your suggestions. I feel like we're sitting around sipping our favorite beverage and hanging out like old friends. What a comforting feeling!