I agree that you don't have to buy exspensive fabric. I certainly can't afford it and even if I could I would still look at it closely to determine the quality. I have made some bad choices in the past when buying fabric. I can't afford to do that. I have been heartbroken when I used the poor quality material that was hard to sew, didn't look good or hold up very well. So here are a few things that I now look for when buying fabric so I won't make the same mistake again. A piece of material that the threads look uneven or feel kinda lumpy on the back of the fabric might not be a good choice. You can also hold the material up to the light to make sure it isn't paper thin. I have bought 100% cotton and still it stretched out of shape. So now I check to make sure it's not too stretchy. I aways check to make sure the threads don't look too loose or that the edges aren't raveling too excessively. When I buy fabric or clothes, I crinkle the fabric then I try to smooth it out to see how wrinkled it still is. I hate ironing and I certainly don't want to make something that is going to looked extremely wrinkled after I have spend hours working on it.
Happy quilting!