Hi, Everyone,
Wow! Thank you so much for all the responses. I really learned a lot reading through everyone's thoughts.
After reading through this thread, I went to independent fabric stores and bought bright red and plain white swatches of Kauffman Kona, Moda Bella, and AMB (American Made Brand by Clothworks). The vibrancy of the colors in all three brands seemed equally rich to me, both before and after washing, which is good. The winner for me, though, was AMB. No question. Its higher thread count really does make a difference and I just loved working with it. As someone else on this thread mentioned, AMB has a thread count of 78 x 74, while Moda Bella and Kona both have a 60 x60 count. Admittedly, I was already a little partial to the idea of working with AMB brand even before the challenge, simply because it's not an export, but the proof really was in the pudding. It's really beautifully soft, but not at all thin or flimsy feeling.
Just for fun, I made quilt sandwiches out of all the test swatches: two for each brand (one red swatch, one white), using low-loft bamboo batting for each swatch. I quilted using a cross-hatch design with the lines an inch apart. I laundered them and then asked my mother, my fiancee, and two friends feel them (without knowing which was which). All four picked the AMB swatches, without any hesitation. When I asked which swatch came second, they split down the middle with two people saying they liked the Moda Bella swatches second best because they liked its silky feel and the other two pointing to the Kona because they did NOT like the silky feel of the Moda. Go figure. It should be noted that everyone had to be prodded to pick a second favorite; initially, they all said that while the AMB was the standout the other two were fairly equal. So, there you have it.
The other things to consider are color choice and price. Here's how the three break down in terms of color and price. I'm using the prices found at Fat Quarter Shop online, which is pretty standard, but, obviously, prices can fluctuate depending on where you shop:
Kauffman Kona: 271 colors @ $6.99 a yard. Color card is $19.50
Moda Bella Solids: 237 colors @ $12.99 a yard. Color card is $34.99
AMB by Clothworks: 50 colors @ $6.49 a yard. Color card is $11.00.
For me, the quality and the price of AMB makes it a no-brainer and I can't wait to get started with my bigger project. That being said, I think their color selection may be limiting for a lot of people. As someone else pointed out, I wouldn't mix and match these different brands because the weight and feel are so different. As someone who's not initially motivated by color and who's been more into neutrals these days anyway, AMB has everything I need for now. They're fairly new, so maybe more will be on the way.
As someone else on this thread said, the "best" brand is the one YOU like best. After hearing all the diverse opinions, I just thought it would be fun to do this small scale fabric challenge. Not a foolproof challenge by any measure. Thanks for indulging me and, as always, for all the help on this site.
Best,
Aso