jojosnana

Since you have 9 pages of advice, I will just wish you good luck on your quilt! Let us see it as you go along.

Muffie44

My experience has shown that Walmart & JoAnn fabric fades more and have had some bad textured all cotton after washing.

MargeD

Very well said - you took the words out of my mouth - only a whole lot better. You have given very good advice. A friend of mine managed the local Wal-Mart fabric dept. and she told me they buy from VIP and other name brands, but because they have more volume, they get a better price I can't think of some of the others, but VIP especially comes to mind and every VIP fabric I bought at JoAnn's has stood the test well. But I have to feel the fabric, if it's too stiff or too thin and loosely woven, I leave it whether it's JoAnn's the LQS or Wal-Mart. We just got a Hobby Lobby in the area, but I haven't been there to finger test their fabric. Buy what you like and buy the best you can afford and since I make mostly utility quitls for kids, I buy the best for the least amount of money and it's worked well for me.

cavmom

if you are going to take the time and effort to applique a baltimore album quilt get the best quality you can. Your quilt will be a family heirloom and you want it to last. I try to always buy fabric on sale. That said, if is going to be a quilt that will be used ,used, used, buy what you can afford. A lot of places have perfectly nice fabric for reasonable prices and they will hold up fairly well to lots of loving!

Eastexgal

I can find good brand names on material at JoAnns, Hobby Lobby, and connecting threads.com has a good price and the fabric has a good quality. Good luck as you are looking and feeling the material. It will become second nature to touch the fabric and know if it is good quality.

madamekelly

My local LQS, (Finally Together) is owned by a lovely lady who is so sweet, she deserves my business. I just wish I had the funds to give her all of my business. I think she understands that. I have spent some "mad cash' there for a Dresden Ruler that I really wanted, in stead of buying it online. If the online price matches hers, I will hot foot it to her every time. :thumbup:

G'ma Kay

I have bought pieces at a LQS that were way thinner than what I get at WalMart and JoAnns. I go by feel, how easily I can see through it, and how tightly woven. Everyone has their own favorites, but if I see name brand at WalMart on their clearance table, I'm rarely disappointed.

bgullett

I buy all over, Joanns, Walmart, LQS. where ever I can find fabric I like. I even buy at Ben Franklins!

Quiltinvaca

In my opinion (and just my opinion) thickness or thinness(?) means nothing. I like to fondle my fabric before purchasing -- thickness or stiffness is generally nothing but sizing.

Of course everyone should buy what they can afford, but if I were attempting to make a Baltimore Album, believe me -- I would use nothing but top quality fabric. You should be confident that your hard work will last for at least 100 years -- not fade or fall apart. With needle-turn applique, you'll want the higher thread count.

Just my opinion.

joyceinoh

I buy my fabric at different places,
Lots come from gr sales. Last I bought there was (a box full)of 100% cotton and believe me it was really nice soft. It must have been expensieve stuff cause I had never worked with that kind before.

But since a lot of my quilts are given to the needy, I make them from whatever I have at the time.
Otherwise I am like most of the rest here. Buy it when I find what I like and make sure it is not to thin.