suzanprincess

I recently stopped at my nearest LQS to drop off some fliers, so of course HAD to check out the sale area, and though not there for shopping ended up leaving with over 20 cuts of $4.50-$5/yd gorgeous fabrics, including batiks. Closeout sales there are 50% off, which is as good as I've been able to get online AND I get to pet the fabric first. That said, I do buy from online shops, some found through FabShopHop, some through this board, and also several eBay vendors. Mo and Macs is a favorite there, as they post new batches weekly, some at auction and some "buy now," most name-brand but ALL I've bought have been great. Just be careful in bidding; set a price you will not exceed before even starting, as bidding wars can be expensive!

msquiltalot

If you're anywhere Gaithersburg, MD. there's a great shop named Capital Quilts. (15926 Luanne Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-1408
(301) 527-0598, Hours: Sun 12–5pm; Mon-Thu, Sat 10am–6pm; Fri 10am–9pm) Great fabric and fantastic service. Whenever I visit family in MD I make time to visit this shop.

KathyPhillips

Lots of answers here! The LQS will have some fabrics at $8.49-$8.99, some at $9.49, some at $10.49. The reason is not "quality." It is usually because the ones at $8 came into the shop earlier, and the $9 and $10 came in later at a higher cost. Ask the owner. Most at the LQS should be good quality. Some at Walmart, Joann's and Hancock will be good quality. I have to feel the fabric, too.

jeanharville

I went to the Atlanta quilt show this week and petted almost all the fabric. I'm a newbie and we don't have a LQS in my part of AR. I was glad to touch the various brands and get business cards with web sites. So now I won't be afraid to order online. I don't know if all the vendors had their fabric on sale or if JoAnns is just charging higher prices for lesser quality goods. But 9 - 10 dollars seemed to be the going rate for most of the good fabric I looked at.

Ardelle Coult

I spent over a hour in Joanns looking at fabric and could not find one single bolt that was not made in China. Plan to look at the fabric in Walmart now that it is back to see where it is from. I too prefer to buy less and buy from my LQS.

ube quilting

Buy the best quality you can afford. If you go to a any major big fabric store and handle the fabrics in the quilting department you will be able to tell the difference in the quality right away. Does it feel nice to touch? does it have a nice drape quality. Is there weight to it? These are good things. If you can see your hand through the fabric, put it back on the shelf. Your 7.00 to 10.00 should buy you some good quality stuff.
Buy what you like and don't limit yourself to one or two good brands. There are many.

peace

ube quilting

If you you want MIA fabric try Connecting Threads. Good quality and MIA. Some very nice assortments and they are nice to deal with.
peace

ube quilting

I have to move there! I'm a lucky Luanne!

QandE2010

[quote=Mad Mimm]Patty, when I am looking at fabric I will hold the fabric up to see if I can see my hand through it. If you can, it means the weave is looser and the fabric will shift more and probably fray. Another thing to check is the "feel". Quality fabric should have a smooth feel, not lumpy or knotty. You can take the fabric in your hands and check it for stretch, both on grain and on the bias to see how much flex it has (again you are looking for a tighter weave so not a lot of flex, though bias will always have flex to it). Another thing to look at is the print - rub it with your fingers and see if any dye rubs off. Is the pattern printed straight and is the printing evenly colored throughout? These are some things you can look for when checking fabric for quality. Generally speaking, if you are shopping at LQS you will have only good quality fabrics being offered. But if you go Joanns or Walmart or another big box store, you can check the fabric using these guidelines.[quote]
Excellent points!!

DanaMargaret

Agree100%!!!!