Question about fabric manufacturers - are there different qualities?
 

I have a general question about fabric quality. Does a fabric manufacturer create different qualities of their fabric? I'm wondering if a well-known quilt-quality fabric manufacturer makes a lesser quality fabric to sell to "chain stores" under its well-known name.

for example only: Is KONA fabric the same quality whether you purchase it at a quilt store or at Walmart? Is Northcott the same quality whether you purchase it at a quilt store or on-line?

I am in a group that makes Quilts of Valor quilts and I need to try to be as thrifty as possible in my purchases. I've tried to utilize chain store coupons and seek out the well-known fabric manufacturer names at those stores.

But, I'm wondering if there are different qualities of their fabric. Does anyone know? I do not want to purchase inferior fabric for such a great cause.

Thanks!

some people swear they do make different grades for different vendors.
but no manufacturer of truly and consistently quality fabrics would risk their reputation like that.
you will, however, find "knock-off" fabrics named and printed so they are nearly identical (and easily mistaken for) their more expensive counterparts.
just like clothing.

People are often confused about Kona. Kona is the copyrighted name of a type of fabric produced by Kaufman, the manufacturer. Kaufman Kona is the same everywhere. However, there is another fabric manufacturer that has the name Kona Bay. Sometimes people see Kona Bay on the bolt and think it's Kona cotton. Well, in a way it is; however, it isn't Kaufman Kona!

I have seen arguments both ways about whether the same line of fabric comes in different qualities. I honestly don't know for sure. What I have noticed, however, is that sometimes fabrics at Walmart (and less frequently at JoAnn's) are slightly misprinted. Printed fabrics run through rollers with different colors and, if the positioning is slightly off, the colors will be slightly off. This makes the print more "muddy" in appearance. If you're not used to looking for this, it's easy to miss. If I am buying printed fabric at a non-LQS, I tend to take a close look at the print to make sure that the colors are clear and the lines defining the print are sharp.

I do think that flat folds are often "seconds". I have found that flat folds are often not as pretty as other fabrics.

Check out Connecting Threads online. Their clearance fabric can be as cheap as $3.50 a yard, and I think it is great quality. You might be limited by the colors for QOV.

Years ago I was told that they made different quality fabric using the same print for different stores. Nowadays, I don't see that at all. The fabrics that come from quality mfg all are the same. My rule of thumb is to hold the fabric up to the light. If I can see through it, I don't buy it.

On the other hand, I don't always buy the highest quality fabric. If I want the quilt to last for years, I buy the best quality I can find.

last week I bought fabric on a bolt with a well known company. Not sure if I can say but they also send out a small catalog if you want to subscribe. I never had such a problem with bleed. Yes it was a batik but this thing bled like a stuck hog even after I used Retayne and 3 color catchers and a couple terry cloth towels to help absorb bleed. The inside of my washer had to be washed down then I ran a cycle of bleach. Then my dryer had a lovely aggravating shade of green. This was not fun to wipe out since I've recently been diagnosed as severe osteoporosis. Butt I got down on my hands and knees and wiped my dryer out with rag and some bleach water.

Forgot to say I bought my fabric at JoAnn's.

My mother back in the early 90s worked as a seamstress at a jeans factory. They made Levis for Wal-Mart and Levis for department stores. She said the denim for the Wal-Mart jeans was noticeably thinner.

However ... while the WM jeans were made with a thinner denim than the Dept store Levis ...... the question I would have is, were the Jeans marketed as the same model/style?

My guess is that while they were almost the same ..... there was an identified difference, such as a different style name/number!



Likewise, I would suspect similar may happen with quilting fabrics .... almost the same but not quite.
Yes, Buyer Beware!!

... but also Buyer know and understand that there may be identified differences which could mean, there is no deceit.

That's a good question and I'd have to say that I don't know. Probably not marketed quite the same. As for fabric shopping, no matter where I'm shopping at, if it feels too thin or poor quality, then I don't buy it.