I like to use walmart for emergencies. I do use some of their fat quarters of fabric for crafty items. I hardly ever use it for making quilts though. Their is a big difference in quilting fabric campared to regular fabric., Alot like thread counts in bedding sheets, The higher the count, the better and stronger.
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I buy what I can afford and almost all the time that is Walmart or even goodwill. I can't afford nine dollars a yard or even six dollars a yard, yet I love to sew and quilt. Made some pretty nice items from the fabrics at Walmart.
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I pretty much stick to quilt shops and online shops. I use Jo-ann's coupons for anything but fabric. The Wal-Mart near me still has quite a large fabric dept, but the six months I have lived here I have not found any fabric to buy there. I learned that lesson early on.
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You know what? You buy what you can afford. And dont you ever feel bad about it. Quilting is about your expression, not the quilt snob/police. Of which there really aren't very many. Yes, lqs is a LOT better quality, imho, and easier to work with. But if you have the need to create, anything will do. Also, every quilt shop I have been to always has some fabric for half price. I stock up epecially if it is something I like. Just like buying winter coats, buy when the spring clothes are coming and winter is all on sale for the next year.
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I went to walmart to look for some cheap fabric to make a nightgown pattern for. I found some cotton checkered print for 1.50 a yard in the quilting fabric section. To me it felt like quilting fabric. So I got it and I ended up making a nightgown out of it to make sure the pattern fit.
I ended up only doing 1/4 seams as I forgot to do larger ones for clothing. That nightgown has been washed and worn and washed again with no problems. Fabric from Walmart can be bad, I have seen it. It can also be not so bad. You have to look at each individual fabric. When I was buying for my latest quilt. I saw a fabric at Joannes, I LOVED the pattern but the fabric did not feel right. So I skipped it. None of my quilts have fallen apart yet. I hope that they dont. If they do well then it will be my fault. but I got the joy of making it and learning from it. I have yet to spend more then 3$ a yard for fabric. It really limits what I can get and I really have to be careful. It can be done. |
Originally Posted by knlsmith
You know what? You buy what you can afford. And dont you ever feel bad about it. Quilting is about your expression, not the quilt snob/police. Of which there really aren't very many. Yes, lqs is a LOT better quality, imho, and easier to work with. But if you have the need to create, anything will do. Also, every quilt shop I have been to always has some fabric for half price. I stock up epecially if it is something I like. Just like buying winter coats, buy when the spring clothes are coming and winter is all on sale for the next year.
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I only use quilt quality fabric form LQS...I have a bin of wal-mart fabric that I bought when I had first started sewing....so I will use it in an ER....or if it is for something that is not going to be a masterpeice quilt....I have also given alot of it away...after itis gone I won't use it anymore..but I also can't throw away the money I have spent on it.....I think it is wise to shop around adn get sales..they have them everywhere!
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this argument is as old as quilting. :roll:
not every expensive fabric is good fabric. not every inexpensive fabric is junk. Americans kvetch about $10 a yard; Aussies drool at the thought of such a bargain. there isn't a quilting fabric out there that's truly worth $10 a yard. have I paid that much? i'm sorry to say i did ... just the other day. I still can't believe it, but i did. do i feel guilty? heck no. i work hard for my money. if i want to indulge myself once in a while, it's nobody's business but mine. will i do it again? not unless i'm that desperate again and that much too lazy again to shop around for a more sensible price when nothing but exactly what i already have in mind will do. those who can afford the ridiculous prices at the LQS need to remember that noses were made to smell with - not to look down. those who struggle to find something ... anything ... they can squeeze into a skin-tight budget need to remember that the LQS junkies have a right to spend their money as they choose. as long as nobody is skipping the groceries and bills to buy fabric; as long as everybody is happy with whatever they have chosen to buy; the debate is unneccessary, pointless, and ALWAYS leads to hurt feelings. :hunf: |
Originally Posted by PatriceJ
this argument is as old as quilting. :roll:
not every expensive fabric is good fabric. not every inexpensive fabric is junk. Americans kvetch about $10 a yard; Aussies drool at the thought of such a bargain. there isn't a quilting fabric out there that's truly worth $10 a yard. have I paid that much? i'm sorry to say i did ... just the other day. I still can't believe it, but i did. do i feel guilty? heck no. i work hard for my money. if i want to indulge myself once in a while, it's nobody's business but mine. will i do it again? not unless i'm that desperate again and that much too lazy again to shop around for a more sensible price when nothing but exactly what i already have in mind will do. those who can afford the ridiculous prices at the LQS need to remember that noses were made to smell with - not to look down. those who struggle to find something ... anything ... they can squeeze into a skin-tight budget need to remember that the LQS junkies have a right to spend their money as they choose. as long as nobody is skipping the groceries and bills to buy fabric; as long as everybody is happy with whatever they have chosen to buy; the debate is unneccessary, pointless, and ALWAYS leads to hurt feelings. :hunf: I agree with you 100%. A lot of times when I'm reading this board or post something, some of the other posters "seem" to criticize what is said. I buy most of my fabric from Wal-mart but always do the feel test. I'm working on a quilt now with fabrics from their and they are not even unraveling. Bought them off the quilt wall. I have also bought them on line but always on sale. No more then then $3.50 a yard and always free shipping. I share with my sister so we split the cost. Gotta do what you gotta do. |
I was never pleased with Walmart fabric. It is really bad quality, and after one washing it looks horrible let alone a lifetime of washings. I am making quilts that will last my family a lifetime. If they are going to have something for 30+ years im going to put the money into it to make it last. If you look online you can get LQS quality fabric for walmart prices as well. :) Hope that helps.
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