When I first started quilting, I could only afford Walmart fabrics. One of my first quilts was a Kalaediscope, made ten years ago and cherished by my daughter. I just had to replace the outer border. It rotted completely -- totally disintigrated. I am now very, very careful about what fabrics I use. All the other fabrics in the quilt were Walmart fabrics and they are ok. So, how do you know which fabrics are bad and which are good?

How do you know which fabrics are bad/good? I always do a "feel" test. How much starching is in the fabric? If it's stiff as a board, it's gonna be really thin after washing and thus I leave it there. Can you see through the fabric? Hold it up to the light and if you can read your driver's license through it, leave it there. Check the end of the bolt for what it's made of -- 100% cotton or is it a blend? Hope this helps :D

WHEN I buy fabric, I buy only there .

I use it mostly for backings. You can get some good fabric and some bad there so be careful.
I have made several quilts with their fabric and so far they are fine but they have not been used enough to find out how well they hold up.

I have a quilt I made out of cheapy fabric from there. The dog lays on it all the time and it was been washed ALOT. It has held up well for 4 years. go figure

There are so many wonderful online shops selling quilt shop fabric at very good prices. All I buy from them now is VIP like the High School Musical for a specific quilt for a child.

same here, it is the only store within 1/2 hour to buy fabric.

I've bought from Walmart, Joanne's and LQS. Some of it was very good and some was garbage from all 3 places. Location of purchase is no guarantee of quality. You have to check the fiber content, feel the fabric and check the thickness.

I buy fabric from our local Walmart and I also buy fabrics from online stores, at Joann's, the LQS(40 miles away), and a fabric store (20 miles away). This walmart has a ton of material to choose from, some is $6/yd, some $2.50/yd, some $1.50/yd. The flannel is nice, I've not had a problem with it. I usually stick with the feel, thickness, not buying anything I can see through. When I first began quilting I didn't know the difference in thread count, etc., I used anything cotton, lol. The $1.50/yard stuff fell apart with the first washing, so now I won't buy any of that, and I have to replace the quilt. Oh well, live and learn :D . Good luck!

I was asked to make two quilts for a friends' grandchildren for Christmas. He purchased the material from Walmart. The Cinderella material was of very nice quality, and worked up nicely. The Transformers material had a rubbery feeling to it. It was a bugger to work with, the thread kept fraying and breaking, and I even had two needles break during the decorative quilting stitching. The material had been washed and dried, yet the rubbery -whateveritwas- remained. I agree that there is 'good' and 'bad' fabric, and what I purchase depends on what the project will be.

I use a lot of Wal Mart fabric and they have all worked out very well. White on white is all very good quality and so is the cream on cream. A lot of their fabrics around here are good quality, some are a little thinner. Years ago some were actually a little too thick for quilts. All in all they are a lot cheaper than Jo Anns and I have found same pieces at Wal Mart and at Jo Anns and Jo Anns is much higher.