I just took a peek at my stash and find my favorites are Moda (great designers like Holly Taylor & Deb Strain (to name a few), & they offer lovely pre-cuts and yardage collections), Hoffman (Batiks), Hoffman of California and Robert Kaufman (Asian/Oriental inspired fabric lines) and Red Rooster...my latest love is their "Ella" collection!!! I also like Benartex for more contemporary fabrics. These are all available at LQS's and online. I recently made a quilt for my Aunt with April Cornell's "Nostalgia" collection from Joann's and I was very impressed with the quality of this fabric and she absolutely loved her quilt! Have Fun shopping and finding your favorites!!!

I love the silkiness of the Moda fabrics and the detail and the beautiful sopohisticated colors on some of their lines like 3 sisters and french general. :-D

I really like Hoffman

Moda is a favorite! Another one you might look for is Maywood Studios, I think their fabrics have a nice weight and sheen to them.

My favs are Hoffman, Moda, Kaufman, Timeless Treasures and RJR but reality is I LOVE IT ALL!!

I agree with the brand Andover. I recently bought some of their brand and was so pleased with the way it felt and sewed that I don't mind paying a little more. Gail Kessler designs for them and since she is a quilter, she designs with seam allowances included so you can keep the proper design, especially on borders.Do you know other designers that do this? I would be interested to know. I also have had good luck ordering from Connecting Thread and my local quilt shop.

Like selecting terrycloth towel: Hold it up to the light, if very translucent-- reject.

sorry to say, but this statement is NOT true...I know..I have worked in a few shops, and in a few box chain stores and in a family owned textile stores...and it all boils down to touching and feeling and looking it over really well.

I just paid $10.59 a yd for a fabric my sister fell in love with..luckily I only bought 1/2 yd of it..it was in a brand new quilt shop...sadly, that fabric sucks...it is soooo thin...and loosely woven..I would NOT have bought it if not for sister pouting about it being perfect for her tablerunner..sigh... and it was a very popular TOP brand!

Northcott, because it is sooooo soft and Michael Miller, Timeless Treasures, Henry Glass, Wilmington, Robert Kaufman, Riley Blake and as someone else noted - if when you hold it up to the light you can see your hand put it back on the shelf. I've seen colors and made a dash for it, but when I took hold of it it was like tissue paper. If you are going to spend all that time making a gorgeous quilt get the best fabric you can fit in your budget. I almost forgot my favorite foreign brand, Andower which has some of the most delightful fabrics ever.

I wonder if bolts that have been around a while, that were issued several years ago, are generally better quality, than some of the new ones?