Quality fabrics.......
10-21-2011, 07:59 AM
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,644
Originally Posted by 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.
Sorry for the long response. I am really picky about my fabric, so I don't buy from Joanns or WalMart. I would rather buy less, pay more, and get good quality from my LQS. Hope that helps!
I can't buy online either, because I have an elaborate petting ritual I must observe when fabric shopping :lol: But if I have one in hand I like, I will reorder it online if I need to.
Sorry for the long response. I am really picky about my fabric, so I don't buy from Joanns or WalMart. I would rather buy less, pay more, and get good quality from my LQS. Hope that helps!
I can't buy online either, because I have an elaborate petting ritual I must observe when fabric shopping :lol: But if I have one in hand I like, I will reorder it online if I need to.
Your suggestions of what to look for in a "good quality fabric" are excellent.
Experience is wonderful - I don't think there is a short-cut around it - your suggestions of what to look for are a good place to start from.
However - I have found SOME wonderful fabrics at WalMart that I would compare favorably to some of the so-called "better" lines. I've also gotten SOME LQS fabrics that were a disappointment to me. I have also gotten selective after over 50 years of buying fabric!
I have never noticed a selvage that says "WalMart Fabric" - any more than I have noticed a "WalMart Brand Toaster"
WalMart and JoAnn both carry several types of fabrics. So it is necessary/helpful to buy something that is suitable for the purpose intended. I think it is unreasonable to knock the store for carrying a fabric (or other item) that was not appropriate for something I intended to use it for - and I was dumb enough (or uninformed enough) to buy it. Or too "cheap" to buy some of the "better" lines available.
Most LQS do carry a much greater selection to choose from - but even with many bolts to choose from - sometimes one has to go to another store to find the last "perfect" piece for a project. (One of the excuses to have a stash!)
Back to the OP question:
Depending on the LQS you go to, you should be able to get some nice fabrics in the $8.00 to $10.00 price range. If there are several shops near you, it might be worth the time and effort to visit them all and compare prices.
10-21-2011, 09:34 AM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,395
I've found that the price of the fabric is not a guarantee of quality any more than the type of store purchased from.
Quality is determined by several factors, most of which have already been listed. To me, feel is the important thing. If it meets all the other signals of quality and doesn't feel good, then I won't buy it. And if it feels good and may not be quite top quality, but the color/pattern is what I'm looking for, then so what...it feels good!
Quality is determined by several factors, most of which have already been listed. To me, feel is the important thing. If it meets all the other signals of quality and doesn't feel good, then I won't buy it. And if it feels good and may not be quite top quality, but the color/pattern is what I'm looking for, then so what...it feels good!
10-21-2011, 09:46 AM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Jozefow, Poland
Posts: 4,474
Originally Posted by doris.meek13088
My suggestion is to visit your local quilt store to get educated then you can shop online at some fo the stores previously listed.
10-21-2011, 03:03 PM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,126
Originally Posted by bearisgray
I was agreeing with you until you got to your comment about JoAnns or WalMart.
Your suggestions of what to look for in a "good quality fabric" are excellent.
Experience is wonderful - I don't think there is a short-cut around it - your suggestions of what to look for are a good place to start from.
However - I have found SOME wonderful fabrics at WalMart that I would compare favorably to some of the so-called "better" lines. I've also gotten SOME LQS fabrics that were a disappointment to me. I have also gotten selective after over 50 years of buying fabric!
I have never noticed a selvage that says "WalMart Fabric" - any more than I have noticed a "WalMart Brand Toaster"
WalMart and JoAnn both carry several types of fabrics. So it is necessary/helpful to buy something that is suitable for the purpose intended. I think it is unreasonable to knock the store for carrying a fabric (or other item) that was not appropriate for something I intended to use it for - and I was dumb enough (or uninformed enough) to buy it. Or too "cheap" to buy some of the "better" lines available.
Most LQS do carry a much greater selection to choose from - but even with many bolts to choose from - sometimes one has to go to another store to find the last "perfect" piece for a project. (One of the excuses to have a stash!)
Back to the OP question:
Depending on the LQS you go to, you should be able to get some nice fabrics in the $8.00 to $10.00 price range. If there are several shops near you, it might be worth the time and effort to visit them all and compare prices.
Your suggestions of what to look for in a "good quality fabric" are excellent.
Experience is wonderful - I don't think there is a short-cut around it - your suggestions of what to look for are a good place to start from.
However - I have found SOME wonderful fabrics at WalMart that I would compare favorably to some of the so-called "better" lines. I've also gotten SOME LQS fabrics that were a disappointment to me. I have also gotten selective after over 50 years of buying fabric!
I have never noticed a selvage that says "WalMart Fabric" - any more than I have noticed a "WalMart Brand Toaster"
WalMart and JoAnn both carry several types of fabrics. So it is necessary/helpful to buy something that is suitable for the purpose intended. I think it is unreasonable to knock the store for carrying a fabric (or other item) that was not appropriate for something I intended to use it for - and I was dumb enough (or uninformed enough) to buy it. Or too "cheap" to buy some of the "better" lines available.
Most LQS do carry a much greater selection to choose from - but even with many bolts to choose from - sometimes one has to go to another store to find the last "perfect" piece for a project. (One of the excuses to have a stash!)
Back to the OP question:
Depending on the LQS you go to, you should be able to get some nice fabrics in the $8.00 to $10.00 price range. If there are several shops near you, it might be worth the time and effort to visit them all and compare prices.
10-21-2011, 03:04 PM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: South Texas
Posts: 1,968
Originally Posted by 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.
Sorry for the long response. I am really picky about my fabric, so I don't buy from Joanns or WalMart. I would rather buy less, pay more, and get good quality from my LQS. Hope that helps!
I can't buy online either, because I have an elaborate petting ritual I must observe when fabric shopping :lol: But if I have one in hand I like, I will reorder it online if I need to.
Sorry for the long response. I am really picky about my fabric, so I don't buy from Joanns or WalMart. I would rather buy less, pay more, and get good quality from my LQS. Hope that helps!
I can't buy online either, because I have an elaborate petting ritual I must observe when fabric shopping :lol: But if I have one in hand I like, I will reorder it online if I need to.
10-21-2011, 08:50 PM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Southern California
Posts: 6,254
Originally Posted by Patti Mahoney
Originally Posted by watterstide
there are so many quality fabrics out there..
you should go visit a few on line stores.
or visit your local quilt shop..
thousands of bolts
fabric.com
etc..so many !
you should go visit a few on line stores.
or visit your local quilt shop..
thousands of bolts
fabric.com
etc..so many !
10-21-2011, 09:47 PM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,703
Originally Posted by Patti Mahoney
I want to start my next project but I don't know anything about what Brands of fabric to buy. What are some of the better Brand names, reasonably priced, about $8.00-10.00 a yard. I should be able to get some pretty nice fabric for that price, right???
As far as what the better name brands would be...hard to say in my opinion. I remember a discussion on here about how---because of the rise in cotton prices---some fabric companies were putting out fabrics that were of a lesser quality than what they typically put out. When I check out a fabric that's of a questionable quality (and someone may disagree with me on this) I ask myself, "Would my bed sheets make better quilting fabric than this?" (for the record, my sheets aren't expensive) and if I say "yes" I don't buy it.
I know you said you don't like shopping online, but I wanted to point out Missouri Star Quilt Co. has reasonably priced fabric on their website. Off the top of my head, only a handful of their fabrics were---I think--- $10/yard and most of those had been extra wide backing fabrics. And the quality of their fabric is not "cheap".
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