Let me start by saying I'm no fabric snob atleast I didn't think so!! But today a beginner quilter asked me what is the best kind of fabric to buy and I replied 100% cotton with a nice tight weave. Then proceeded to show her what I meant. Do you know how much poly/cotton I have but have stopped using?? More than you want to know. And it's all your faults!!! LOL!!

oops! Did you do what I do - hit send too quick? :)

ROFLOLPMP

Sorry I hit send before I was done.!!

Surprisingly enough I have survived our Wal Mart not selling fabric. There are some projects that I'd use their fabrics on & then there was some that I wouldn't. But in the beginning it was great, it held up almost 10 yrs in DS's quilt he used EVERYDAY so I guess I can't complain. I just don't spend as much since they have gotten rid of fabric

Guilty as charged lol :D

Use up your poly/cotton on a scrape quilt. Or practice on new blocks, or give it to your daughter and tell her to make another quilt. STill lots of ideas to use it for. I know not all my material is all cotton, but that's what I try to use now.

QUIT SNOB!!! ha ha ha

Just curious. Why not use poly/cotton? What happens to the quilt when you use it?

Nothing happens. The all cotton fabric is just softer and doesn't seen to have as much stretch as the poly/cotton. Don't get me wrong but I just couldn't believe I said that to her. First off I was shocked when she tapped my shoulder and asked me if I was a quilter and then wanted advice on fabrics. That was first time anyone ever asked me that in wm and then when I said what I said I walked off thinking have I become a cotton snob. I buy 99% of my fab's at wm.

Oh I will use them up because I can't afford to replace them.

being a snob is not a bad thing. LOL Thanks for the answer!

I think it's ok to be snobby about 100% cotton fabrics. It's what they used before there was polyester!

Well you are right about the fabric, sorry to say our Wally mart does not carry fabric, so I can't even comment on what their fabric is like.

Just a comment: Quilters use what is available. The quilters of Gees Bend used old cloths because that was, in most cases, all they had. Use what you've got. I see that as the tradition.

I made two quilts about 25 years ago. One was 100% cotton and the other had ply/cotton blend in it. The 100 % cotton looks the same today, just a little faded. The one with poly/cotton -you can see through the poly/cotton after being washed so many times. My son brought the quilt back to me and wanted to know if there was anything I could do about it. For a baby quilt it is fine but for a bed quilt that will be washed and used for years, go for the cotton.

PS
You gave her good advice. Don't feel bad.

I think a little "snobbery" is a helpful thing for a newbie. I made my first quilt with old (gasp) polyester. Yikes! What an awful looking mess that was.

When you think to give the very best, you did.
You gave her the BEST ADVICE....No you are NOT a snob. I can't believe that this is the first time that someone has ask you something?????? My DH thinks there is an invisable sign on me that people see.....People are always asking me questions.. I just laugh about it now.......
OH!! by the way you are the last person on here that would be a snob........Maybe you will luck out now that JoAnn's was purchased,they might come up with a store near you.......

I found that at Joann's you have to check the fabric, too. I saw some that were not top quality, with loose weave, but the price was $8.50. All the fabric that my friends and I have ever ordered from affordable Connecting Threads have all been top quality so far.

Hear, hear! Well said, luv-e.

Quilter's cottons are great--they keep moisture off the skin by absorbing it, comfort the cold with thermal warmth, and hug the user with all the quilter's love in the world.

CJOMomma, you gave excellent advice when you said use 100% cotton to a newbie.

:) You QS you :)

Have used other than 100% cotton, works well enough, long as the irons not too hot :(
Gave her good advise tho, later will come in handy if she tries the stretchy stuff, then thinks about why that is :)

Thanks you guys! Now I don't feel so bad. Hopefully I did help her.

I 'm a newbee. Made my 1st quilt using what I thought was a good fabric purchased from Walmart. I thought the material was beautiful. Working on my 2nd quilt using MODA fabric purchased at a quilt shop . Same pattern as 1st quilt, same color family. World of difference in feel of material, seems easier to press and sew without stretching and the colors are a lot brighter. I'm not saying I want purchase Walmart fabric because we have a Walmart here but we do not a LQS but Walmart material will not be my 1st choice.

i don't like the feel of poly/cotton. i find it ravels like crazy. if that makes me a snob, so be it.

Well if that makes you a quilt snob I must be way worse....

I dont think you are a snob at all! I shop alot of places for fabric, and always look for the 100 percent cotton too!
Walmart does have some really nice fabric, sodoes JoAnns and the LQS. Just have to feel it for the quality!

I totally agree :D

Well, I guess I am a fabric snob. I won't use fabric from anywhere but a quilt shop. I only buy fabric that's on sale about 90% of the time though. I look for discontinued lines or clearance sales and stock up then. I can find fabric online that's top quality for the same or less than a cheaper store asks. You can tell the difference just by handling it. If I'm going to put countless hours into making a quilt, I want it to be top quality fabric. There are so many online shops that sell fabric on clearance for around $5 per yard or less.

You know I love to quilt with the blends. My mother in law made quilts for all my kids that they used all the time and because they were cotton they didn't hold up well in the wash. My blends can be washed over and over and hold up well. Not that I don't use cottons too but I think the cottons of today are made better. And I learned that you had to use cotton thread with cotton as the poly thread cuts the fibers in the cotton. I have wondered if that is what my MIL did.
Lynda

My mother in law was a fantastic quilter. Picked out beautiful color combinations, excellent piecing; however, she bought the cheapest fabric she could find. Didn't matter if they were 100% cotton or whatever. We are paying for that now. It is such a shame to see these beautiful quilts fall apart at the seams because they fray so easily. My quilting is no where near the quality of hers, but I do make sure that it is 100% cotton and the best quality I can afford, even for baby quilts - they are washed alot more than bed quilts.

Years ago quilters used anything they could get their hands on to make a quilt and look some of those quilts are still here today.


I only use cotton.

I would never use anything but 100% cotton fabric for making my quilts. Polyester is like using using a plastic bag it's made from oil based product.

Fortunately my first quilt teacher told me on my first quilt to always use good quality 100% cotton all my quilts and also 100% cotton batting. It has been 8 years and I have never been sorry. Thanks Jim!!

She started quilting late in life and did not think her quilting was good enough to warrant good fabric. It wasn't because she couldn't afford it, she didn't realize how good of a quilter she was even though we all tried to convince her

I really don't have a prefrance as I sew with all kinds of fabrics. I mostly buy my fabric by what kind a print it is. I mix up fabrics and if it stretches I spray starch it and hand cut it instead of using a rotory tool. I like to sew baby quilts with different textures so they can feel diffrent textures.

It depends on what the quilt is for. At one time I would have said wm fabric is fine and for some things it is. But, once I bought fabric at the LQS I really noticed the difference. The quilt I'm working on now is for BIL and I want it to be special so I'm using the LQS fabric, the ones for nephews will probably be wm as they will get thrown around and washed alot.

Here, here! Good thinking!
Angela

Good morning.
Who purchased JoAnn's and are they expanding?
Thanks for the info.
Angela

Waiting for our Wal Mart to end it's fabric dept. this spring . If I find something worth buying when it goes on sale I'll get it. I work with Hancock Fabrics and I buy there if I can find the quality of fabric I like. Fortunately, I have a quilt shop nearby and I go there for the really good fabrics.
With the stash I have I don't need to buy any fabrics, but I keep buying on occasion. I admit I am a fabriholic and I love fabrics! :-D