Let Us Teach About Fabric Quality
12-11-2011, 04:45 PM
#81
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
through practice- and experience- i've been sewing for 48 years---and i can certainly say i used to buy some really horrible fabrics! but with time and experience i have become much better at being able to tell --- you just have to really---pay attention to your choices- if you find one that you thought was nice in the store- then found it was not---make note---look at the manufacturer/designer---where you bought it---compare it to some of your (nicer) fabrics---note why it is not up to par compared to them- --a quilting journal is a nice tool- you can clip a little swatch (mine are 2"x4"- glue them onto a page-write down the price-place-manufacturer- project it was used for- any details you want to remember- if it's sub-standard in your mind- note why---look through it once in a while---i have one that fits in my purse- i don't put every fabric i buy in it--but if there is something about it i want to remember i add it and make notes.
ITA on the feel and inspection before purchasing!
However, I've been fooled ... beautiful feeling fabric that went limp and think once washed. Sometimes I can feel the sizing/filler in there, and turn away. Other times, it's a total surprise.
And too, sometimes I have purchased a small piece to "try", thinking it will go limp in the wash, and it comes out absolutely beautiful.
So the question that begs to be asked ... how does one accurately assess it for such while in the store?
However, I've been fooled ... beautiful feeling fabric that went limp and think once washed. Sometimes I can feel the sizing/filler in there, and turn away. Other times, it's a total surprise.
And too, sometimes I have purchased a small piece to "try", thinking it will go limp in the wash, and it comes out absolutely beautiful.
So the question that begs to be asked ... how does one accurately assess it for such while in the store?
12-11-2011, 08:03 PM
#82
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Beautiful Briery Mountain in WV
Posts: 2,551
I deconstruct clothing to get fabric of a higher quality than I could afford as yardage. Without a doubt, expensive brand name clothing is made of better fabric. Woolrich, L.L. Bean, for example are made of great stuff. Clothing bearing low-end labels are often--though not always--not worth bothering with. Why is this? There are more details and no skimpy seams in the good clothing. The cheaper garments usually have less detailed sewing but of good craftsmanship. The difference is in the quality of goods used.
When I worked in a sewing factory I was quite surprised when the boss educated me on the expenses of clothing manufacturing--the costliest component is the cloth (NOT the labor, as I thought).
This is a parallel to what other posters have pointed out. Retailers who wish to make a profit selling at low prices are more likely to carry attractive clothing or yard goods from less durable raw material.
It's delicious to go to a real quilt shop and feast on the lovely array so beautifully displayed and make a purchase--like a child with a nickel in an old-time candy shop--but I collect fabrics where ever I can. To me, it's a pleasant challenge to make something useful/attractive from these oddments.
When I worked in a sewing factory I was quite surprised when the boss educated me on the expenses of clothing manufacturing--the costliest component is the cloth (NOT the labor, as I thought).
This is a parallel to what other posters have pointed out. Retailers who wish to make a profit selling at low prices are more likely to carry attractive clothing or yard goods from less durable raw material.
It's delicious to go to a real quilt shop and feast on the lovely array so beautifully displayed and make a purchase--like a child with a nickel in an old-time candy shop--but I collect fabrics where ever I can. To me, it's a pleasant challenge to make something useful/attractive from these oddments.
12-11-2011, 09:31 PM
#84
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Buried under projects!
Posts: 744
I agree with so many of these comments. I buy fabric from my LQS, chain craft stores as well as discount stores such as WalMart. I've bought the good, the bad and the ugly from each. Price isn't synonymous with quality (or lack of), and neither is place of purchase. Thanks for this thread!
12-11-2011, 10:19 PM
#85
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Madison Heights, MI
Posts: 1,069
With my MS I have a hard time feeling the difference between most fabric. When I started quilting, I knew of only one place to purchase fabric and it was not an LQS, but a big chain. I buy what I like where ever that may be. And I do not like it when I hear LQS owners put down retail chains. If you read the end of bolts it all comes from different parts of the world and you are mistaken to believe that better quality always will be at LQS.
Part of the reason that the big chains don't have higher prices are the volume discount. For example, instead of buying one bolt they are buying thousands and using a distribution center.
Part of the reason that the big chains don't have higher prices are the volume discount. For example, instead of buying one bolt they are buying thousands and using a distribution center.
12-11-2011, 11:18 PM
#86
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Jozefow, Poland
Posts: 4,474
OK, going back to the thread title "Let us teach about fabric quality," what exactly DOES determine fabric quality?
There are three major quality factors in determining overall fabric quality;
1) The quality of the base goods (greige goods) upon which the fabric is printed or dyed.
The quality of goods is where it starts, and that quality is determined by a number of factors. The thread count is one -- most cotton made for quilting is what they call 60 square, i.e. there are 60 threads in each direction of the weave, per square inch. Some higher-quality quilting fabric will be 75 square, and batiks and hand-dyes tend to be on even higher thread count fabric, which is what makes them a little more difficult to hand-quilt.
However, thread count isn't the only thing that makes a difference -- the quality of the thread used to make the fabric, and the thickness of the individual threads are also important factors. Cheaper fabrics may have a 60 square thread count but be made of cheaper, rougher lower-quality thread that is also thinner. Less care is also given in the weaving process in cheaper fabrics. The higher quality fabrics will be printed on goods made from more rare, long-staple cotton.
2) The quality of the engraving and printing.
Quality is all over the board in this part as well. Hallmarks of high-quality fabric are the care taken in the design process, the engraving process and the printing process, and the quality of the materials used in the process. Cheaper fabrics will be quickly designed (or even copied) electronically with not a lot of care taken, the engravings may be sloppy, and cheaper dyes will be used in the printing. Fewer color overlays (screens) will often be used. The overall result is that the fabric will often be muddy or blurry looking with not a lot of crisp lines and will be less colorful. The dyes will often lack brilliance and the fabric will just look sort of boring. The designs themselves will mostly be less intricate and simpler.
Higher and highest quality fabrics should have true colors, crisp designs and a lot of obvious care taken with the printing process. The highest quality fabrics will sometimes come from original paintings (although this is getting very rare, only a few companies do this anymore), engraved with the greatest care, and with a lot of attention to detail in the printing process.
3) The quality of the finishing.
Quality finishing, along with the previous two points, determines how the fabric will feel. Does it have a nice soft hand? Is it easy to work with? Does it have enough, but not too much stretch? How does it feel when you touch it and work with it?
The highest quality fabrics will have a great "hand," will be easy to work with, and will be pliable yet hold their shape when sewn. Lower quality fabrics may feel rough, have a lot of obvious "starchy" feel, and may be stiff or will excessively unravel.
Hope this helps you teach yourself what to look for when you're fabric shopping. In most cases, you get what you pay for. There are of course bargains to be had everywhere. I encourage you comparison shop, but make sure always that you're comparing apples to apples, etc. Just because you pay a high price, doesn't always mean you're getting the highest quality fabric. But if you're paying an ultra-low price on fabric purported to be high-quality, let the buyer beware...
There are three major quality factors in determining overall fabric quality;
1) The quality of the base goods (greige goods) upon which the fabric is printed or dyed.
The quality of goods is where it starts, and that quality is determined by a number of factors. The thread count is one -- most cotton made for quilting is what they call 60 square, i.e. there are 60 threads in each direction of the weave, per square inch. Some higher-quality quilting fabric will be 75 square, and batiks and hand-dyes tend to be on even higher thread count fabric, which is what makes them a little more difficult to hand-quilt.
However, thread count isn't the only thing that makes a difference -- the quality of the thread used to make the fabric, and the thickness of the individual threads are also important factors. Cheaper fabrics may have a 60 square thread count but be made of cheaper, rougher lower-quality thread that is also thinner. Less care is also given in the weaving process in cheaper fabrics. The higher quality fabrics will be printed on goods made from more rare, long-staple cotton.
2) The quality of the engraving and printing.
Quality is all over the board in this part as well. Hallmarks of high-quality fabric are the care taken in the design process, the engraving process and the printing process, and the quality of the materials used in the process. Cheaper fabrics will be quickly designed (or even copied) electronically with not a lot of care taken, the engravings may be sloppy, and cheaper dyes will be used in the printing. Fewer color overlays (screens) will often be used. The overall result is that the fabric will often be muddy or blurry looking with not a lot of crisp lines and will be less colorful. The dyes will often lack brilliance and the fabric will just look sort of boring. The designs themselves will mostly be less intricate and simpler.
Higher and highest quality fabrics should have true colors, crisp designs and a lot of obvious care taken with the printing process. The highest quality fabrics will sometimes come from original paintings (although this is getting very rare, only a few companies do this anymore), engraved with the greatest care, and with a lot of attention to detail in the printing process.
3) The quality of the finishing.
Quality finishing, along with the previous two points, determines how the fabric will feel. Does it have a nice soft hand? Is it easy to work with? Does it have enough, but not too much stretch? How does it feel when you touch it and work with it?
The highest quality fabrics will have a great "hand," will be easy to work with, and will be pliable yet hold their shape when sewn. Lower quality fabrics may feel rough, have a lot of obvious "starchy" feel, and may be stiff or will excessively unravel.
Hope this helps you teach yourself what to look for when you're fabric shopping. In most cases, you get what you pay for. There are of course bargains to be had everywhere. I encourage you comparison shop, but make sure always that you're comparing apples to apples, etc. Just because you pay a high price, doesn't always mean you're getting the highest quality fabric. But if you're paying an ultra-low price on fabric purported to be high-quality, let the buyer beware...
12-12-2011, 04:53 AM
#88
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 5,142
Mom was a fabulous quilter. She used to tell us that during WWII people used whatever they could find. She said that they would take Bull Durham bags (little off white fabric bags filled with tobacco and rolling papers-sold for 5 cents and had enough to roll 5 cigarettes) and carefully "un-sew" them. Then they'd wash the bag, lay it in the sun to bleach and use the small piece of fabric for the white in their quilts. She could spot a Bull Durham block in a quilt from a pretty good distance and she prized quilts with them in it. BTW, the bags were the cheapest quality possible but they made beautiful quilts. I have the last quilt that mom ever quilted and it's made with some blocks that she bought on an auction just because they had the bag fabric in them.
12-12-2011, 05:15 AM
#89
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Cashton WI
Posts: 1,125
Great thread! I agree, as prices go up do we stop purchasing fabric because? Supply and demand here, I think prices will level out.
My biggest problem with fabric I have used from chain stores is that the 1/4" seam ends up separating sooner, with the weave being less thread counts.
My test in the store is to hold the fabric up to the light and look closely at it, if it is losely woven stay away.
My biggest problem with fabric I have used from chain stores is that the 1/4" seam ends up separating sooner, with the weave being less thread counts.
My test in the store is to hold the fabric up to the light and look closely at it, if it is losely woven stay away.
12-12-2011, 05:34 AM
#90
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Delmarva Peninsula
Posts: 1,151
Very well stated, each of us are individuals, our circumstances are unique, and our likes and dislikes makes us who we are. I am not a "fabric snob", I buy what I like, but I have to like the tactical quality of the fabric as well as the depth of color. I find excellent fabric at the "chain stores" and lqs, and I find inferior fabric at both too. I think about joining a local guild, but hesitate, as with any group, "cliques" form and that type of politics makes me cringe. Buy where you want, what you want, when you want and the amount you want.
I get exhausted reading the posts bashing stores for the quality of their fabric.
Instead.....lets teach how to determine the quality of fabric.
Fabric quality/availability has changed in the past couple years. Factories have closed; base fabric is being made almost exclusively overseas and it is becoming difficult (I imagine) for our favorite companies to get the quality they want. Lets face it, we may never have the quality and price we became accustomed to in the past.
I wanted to make a quilt using 6 different prints in shades and patterns in PINK. The quilt was being given for use as a throw on a couch and the circumstances were that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the fabric.
The only place I could find the fabric at a price I could afford was at the chain fabric store.
Within the 6 fabrics, there was a distinct difference in the feel of each fabric. However, after washing, ironing, sewing and cutting - the final product was certainly satisfactory. I have old quilts that were used, washed and used for years; have differences in quality and being all cotton are still good. Faded but still holding up.
I saw an interview recently on tv in which the interviewee said "We may not be able to control the circumstances but we can control how we react to them". Or something like that.
So.......all this is to say.
We have to live with the current fabric situation.
We have to be able to make our own decision about using the fabric that is available and the price we can pay.
And I would hope stop saying "only fabric available at certain sources" should be used in our quilts. Rather, advise other quilters about those circumstances to watch in using various qualities.
I like to remember to "respect the nature of the fabric" and act accordingly.
I hope no one takes offense to my rambling this morning. I try never to tell my students or other quilters that they are wrong but rather advise based on my experiences how they might react to the situation and the end results.
Instead.....lets teach how to determine the quality of fabric.
Fabric quality/availability has changed in the past couple years. Factories have closed; base fabric is being made almost exclusively overseas and it is becoming difficult (I imagine) for our favorite companies to get the quality they want. Lets face it, we may never have the quality and price we became accustomed to in the past.
I wanted to make a quilt using 6 different prints in shades and patterns in PINK. The quilt was being given for use as a throw on a couch and the circumstances were that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the fabric.
The only place I could find the fabric at a price I could afford was at the chain fabric store.
Within the 6 fabrics, there was a distinct difference in the feel of each fabric. However, after washing, ironing, sewing and cutting - the final product was certainly satisfactory. I have old quilts that were used, washed and used for years; have differences in quality and being all cotton are still good. Faded but still holding up.
I saw an interview recently on tv in which the interviewee said "We may not be able to control the circumstances but we can control how we react to them". Or something like that.
So.......all this is to say.
We have to live with the current fabric situation.
We have to be able to make our own decision about using the fabric that is available and the price we can pay.
And I would hope stop saying "only fabric available at certain sources" should be used in our quilts. Rather, advise other quilters about those circumstances to watch in using various qualities.
I like to remember to "respect the nature of the fabric" and act accordingly.
I hope no one takes offense to my rambling this morning. I try never to tell my students or other quilters that they are wrong but rather advise based on my experiences how they might react to the situation and the end results.
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