Wanabee Quiltin

I have bought wonderful wonderful fabric from WalMart. Mary Englebreit sells her fabric there all the time, it's about the only place I can buy it. I check out the feel and look of the fabric, never have bought any of their cheap fabric. Mine usually cost $5.99 a yard and I am very pleased with it. Have made quilts etc and have no complaints. They do sell some crummy stuff for $2 a yard, forget that. Service is terrible, I call the store on my cell phone over and over again to get the person to come cut it. Our local WalMart sells nothing in the fabric line, not one piece. We travel in our RV all over the country, stopping at WalMart to rest. First place I head to is the fabric section and usually I am quite pleased with them. The salespeople are wonderful, it's not their fault they have to cover about 5-6 departments.

JanieH

My WalMart has not put in a fabric department yet. When I asked the manager about it, he said he wasn't aware that WalMart was putting back in fabric departments! I told him perhaps he needed to check with "corporate" about it because it was all over the quilting websites! He said he would but that was almost 9 months ago and still nothing!

I used to get fabric from them before they removed it for projects other than quilts that needed good fabric but not LQS quality. Sure do miss that!

luce321

When we had fabric at WalMart, before they removed it, I was never impressed with their fabric. Only once in awhile you would come across a nice piece.

Margie

The fabric they brought back at our Walmart is absolute junk! Makes me sad, I bought some fabric that looked ok to make a baby quilt, brought it home washed it and decided it must have been 60% sizing. It is just awful. My sewing friends all feel the same way.

Fabriclovr

Yup! Me too. I bought a couple of fat quarters and when got them home, I held them up and I could see through them! Absolute junk!!!!

DonnaQuilts

If you are careful, you can find good material from time to time. WalMart was unlucky to have hired a guy that was from Target. May be an urban legemd. biut he did away with fabric and when an angished cry went up from the customers, they left it in some stores and took it out of others. Our Franklin store has fabric, but not as much, while the Columbia store doesn't have any, at least yet. Some of the fabric at our Franklin store is comparable with Moda, while others is inferior. You just need to be careful and you can find enough, eventually. If we fail to support the fabric department, it wil go away permanently. They wish to get the most profit per square foot of floor space. Unless we buy fabric, the opportunity will vanish completely. It is up to us, what is done in the future. Don't buy into the Quilt Police stand that nobody should buy fabric at WalMart, just use due dilligence.

Caryn

here in n.e.mississippi, the fabric departments of walmart were emptied then they brought the fabric back to about two out of eight stores...if, and this is a big "if" i buy fabric from walmart i always check the end of the bolt that gives the information on where the fabric was manufactured, the fiber content, and the cleaning instructions etc.... you will find that alot of their stuff comes from china...fabric being one. the quality of their more expensive fabrics ($4.00 and up per yd.) is not too bad, but very little of their fabric is good quality for quilting. the service in all of the walmart fabric departments has been good when you can get the service...there is never anyone who actually works the department and someone always has to be called from another department to measure and cut...and some of those who come to help do not know how to do it.

Highmtn

90% of my fabrics come from local quilt stores. I like to support the locals.

When I'm making a demo piece, or trying a new block or technique I use less expensive fabrics. Once I get to the main project I sew with top quality fabrics... I just feel better about it.

When I took my 3 month beginner's quilt making class many moons ago the instructor spent about an hour one day explaining the difference in fabric grading, gray goods (Greige Goods). She did not own the fabric store nor was she vested in it). If I'm feeling tight on money I still hit the LQS, but I shop their 50% off bin first...lol

I have bought some novelty fabrics from JoAnn's for funzie things and they have been fine, but when I'm sewing a super special quilt I get my fabrics from a LQS.

Yes.. a topic like this could launch a riot....LOL It's what you can afford... so.. use the best quality fabrics you can afford. I have had a few fabrics from the LQS's that have had issues, but over the years I've become friends with these shop owners, and they back anything they sell.
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deedum

When I had got home with the fabric Saturday, I realized since I have plenty of lighting in my sewing room that I could see through it. I am so glad I took it back today and I really like the fact that Walmart has such a wonderful return policy. At first they told me they couldn't take it back, but I had chatted with a QB friend (thank you friend) who gave me some advice on how to return it. Did it and wala. So I bought a nice ruler instead. I will buy pins, and somethings there but fabric probably not for me. I suppose I am so used to LQS. aH. it is all good!

Pilgrim

I just read an article the other day and it said something about fabrics being printed on different gray goods. Not sure that is the wording but it was saying that lots of prints are put on different goods and they are different grades. So I assume that you may see the same prints at different places but they may not be as good of quality. I buy almost all cotton and I have found some at every fabric store I won't take home and others I could'nt pass up. I have bought several yards at Wal-Mart on really loved them. They were more expensive but I loved them. Some stores make their people cover more than one area and they just can't be at the counter waiting to cut fabric. When I do get some help, there are good ones and not so good ones. I have found that in all places but "quilt shops."