Not All Fabric is Created Equal

When I was a new mom in 1983, I was lucky enough to be a-stay-at-home mom for a couple of years.  I took a part-time job at Fabricland.  What a fun job that was...I was my own best customer.  I think I still have some remnants from those days!

Alas, Fabricland is no more. (You will see Fabricland in Canada...different company.)  There was a hostile take over back in the mid '80's.  But, that is how Fabric Depot got started!!  So, something good came of it.

I Love Fabric!  And there are so many talented fabric designers and creative quilt pattern designers and talented quilt-sewers.  It's just fun!

There is only one rule to remember when it comes to fabric....don't buy cheap stuff.

Visiting the Holyland

Yes, I know fabric prices have creeped up over the years.
You can probably expect to pay $12 to $15 dollars a yard for nice fabric (and fabric is more expensive in Canada. Sorry, quilters to the north.)   But it is worth it.  Cheap fabric will not hold its shape, will not hold up over time. And do you really want to put lots of $$ and lots of time into a beautiful quilt just to have it look crummy after a while?  No!  You don't.

Look at the end of the bolt.  You want to see a fabric company name you recognize...

Robert Kaufman
Moda
Red Rooster
Blue Hill
Free Spirit
Riley Blake
Tula Pink
The list is a long one....
And, each designer has their own style; traditional, modern, quirky.

When I started quilting I didn't think I'd remember anything about choosing good fabric.  One way to begin recognizing names is the Fabric Shop Hop.  It is an online shop hop.  It can be time consuming and I don't "hop" much any more.  But hopping accomplished one thing...I started to become familiar with various designers and their style and the many different online shops in cyber space.  It is educational and fun. (And, you can win prizes.)  You should give it a try.

Flat Folds:  A flat fold is fabric not on a bolt.  It could be the end of a fabric run or the last of a bolt or cheap junk.  Unless the designer and/or company is printed on the salvage, there isn't any real way of knowing where the fabric came from since there is no bolt to tell you.  I avoid flat folds UNLESS I see information on the salvage that tells me it is a good fabric.

One last word on buying good fabric....your local quilt "shops" are a pretty safe place.  They will deal with good quality fabrics.  Big Box fabric stores (with the exception of a few; Fabric Depot in Portland, OR and Hancock Fabrics in Peducah, KY) buy what I call "no-name" fabric.  These are the fabrics you want to stay away from.

Came across this article on a blog, National Quilters Circle that explains it very well.

So, get out there and start visiting quilt shops!  Oh, one word of etiquette.  Most shops will let you take pictures of quilts on display...but ask first.  It's just good manners.