I buy good quality quilting fabric, but never pay more than $5-$6 a yard for it. There are plenty of sites where you can get top quality fabric at better prices than Joann's which I find to be high for the quality they sell. Check out www.quiltfabriccloseouts.com for example. I've bought oodles of fabric from her at excellent prices. I watch for clearance sales and try to stock up enough for an entire quilt when I find good prices.

Like someone else said, I don't like the feel of cheap fabric. You can really tell the difference just by stroking it. A higher quality material has a smoother texture; almost like it's polished. It's usually soft and very pliable. I find the cheaper fabrics to be stiff. Personally, I believe the better quality will pay off in the long run.

If I'm going to put countless hours into making something special, I want it to last. And, yes I'm a thread snob too. I like Gutermann,Anton-Robinson or Masterpiece threads.

I did not buy expensive materials when I was first learning how to quilt though. I waited until I made something I thought would be an heirloom for my family.

I find Walmart quilting fabric costs less but the quality is sometimes better than their regular fabric.
Jothesewer

Dear TeresaS-
The sites that I recommend for fabric are:
(1) Hancocks of Paducah =-sign up for their newsletter - they have frequent "Web Specials" during which you can get first quality fabric at very reduced prices
(2) Thousands of bolts [but only one nut] sells all fabric for <$4 and I recognize them from other quilt store sites
(3) Fab shop Hop - sign up for their notifications; now they have Hops almost every month of the year and after the
first week the sites with particularly good sales have balloons next to their names.
(4) others here have recommended Connecting Threads and I do also. Their fabric is wonderful and their Quilters' Candy
fabrics [solids & blenders] are $3.96/yd and their batiks are $5.96/yd. They have frequent sales with 50% off these
already great prices.
(5) Fabric.com also has good sales and reasonably good fabrics.
(6) I still buy some fabric at JoAnn's to coordinate with the focus fabric that I purchased at a local quilt shop.

For a newbie I give my highest recommendation to Quilters' Cache. Marcia Hohn has thousands of quilt blocks with
instructions in how to make them and a sample quilt. I wasted a lot of money on patterns until I discovered this site
and realized that if you can figure out the block than you can replicate the pattern yourself. Now I only buy patterns for
particularly complex quilts, that are probably beyond my expertise level, but a gal can dream....

Best of luck and I am sure that you will enjoy quilting.
-Judy Mannix

As a quilt shop owner, I do require anyone taking my beginner class to purchase the fabrics from me. I know that the quilter will be happy with the final product and I won't have an unhappy customer because of bleeding or fading fabrics. Part of the lesson is picking out and coordinating their fabrics for the pattern I teach, I can't offer that part of the lesson if they purchase their fabrics from some other place. I also know their quilt will last them for years to come. After the first one they are free to purchase their fabrics anywhere they choose, but most feel their time is worth a lot also and don't want to waste it by making a quilt that won't be as pretty as it was when they first made it.
OzarksGma

buy on line, you will find many places with good fabric that is MUch cheaper, I just got 100 fat quarters from Keepsake quilting for $99.00 great fabric and beautiful colors

I recommend that you don't buy any fabric that has that stiffness to it. I have been told that is really bad fabric to buy and make anything with it.

If you have a WalMart near you, which still carries fabric, look for the VIP (brand) prints. I find those wash and hold up very well, and without excessive wrinkling. Hobby Lobby is also a good place to look, as well as JoAnn's (which used to be my favorite fabric store, before we moved). I'm not much for online shops, as I like to feel the fabric before buying. Before using any fabric, I wash and dry it, as I would the finished item.

Ditto! Not all quilt shop fabric is "nice" and not all big box fabric is "trash." Buy for your project wherever you find what you need. froggyintexas

Buy what you can afford, but if you purchase locally, feel the fabric. There are many online places that have sales and free shipping. Get on some email lists. I like thousands of bolts, fabric.com, connecting threads, Favorite Fabrics and Equilters are a few that I use. I also buy from Joanns, Hancock's, Hobby Lobby and even Walmart. I use coupons, watch for sales and once in awhile I have paid $12.99 a yard for an entire quilt. It is sitting in my stash and I pet it every once in awhile. LOL. I have a couple projects to finish before I break into that gorgeous fabric. Good luck, you 'll do fine.

I buy what I like, I have made 97 quilts since I started in 1966. I may have 12-15 that I have kept. All the rest has been given to family. Some take care of them, some don't. I am sure glad I didn't buy real expensive fabrics for them. Nice and good quality but, not top of the line. Please yourself and don't break the bank and you will be happy.
Welcome to this great site. Lots of nice people here.