IBQUILTIN

I'm not sure where I read it, but someone posted a blurb about JoAnn's and Hancock's fabrics being imported from India and Indonesia and they are ALWAYS fumigated before entry to the US, Therefore, if you use them for baby quilts, be sure to wash the quilt before you give it to the new Mom.

Gramof6

I have read that nearly all of the fabric in Shops come from overseas. So washing should probably be done anyway. About the cost...Buy what you can afford. Wherever you do shop, feel of the fabric, hold it up & check to see if you can see a lot of light through it. You do not want to be able to read through it. I have spent $12.98 a yd recently at a LQS & the darned fabric was awful to bleed. Had to treat it multiple times! Some I have bought @ JoAnns was not bad to bleed at all. Both had lots of dk. red in it. Our WalMart no longer has fabric but when they were discounting it out @ $2 a yd, I found very nice fabric and snatched up quite a lot. Been very happy. Used some in a quilt & took the quilt into my LQS to get a backing & she took me that very line of fabric and we found a perfect print for the backing. I am sure it was seconds or WalMart would not have had it, but there was really nothing wrong with it that I found. My $2 a yd fabric has held up as well as the $10.97 a yd from the same line through many washings. But just buy the best that you can afford. And look it over and really feel of it. Some feels so much nicer than others.

QIAD does have some nice fabric in their Fabric Frenzy section @ $5 a yd & some even cheaper. Other online Shops have Sales as well. Of course you have shipping to figure in unless you spend a certain amount.

memathomas

i shop at connecting threads online the sale fabrics is the best i've found here is the linkhttp://www.connectingthreads.com/fab...__L600206.html
since wal-mart is low quality and closing the fabric departments Jo Ann is over pricing their fabric i won't go back there, connecting threads is really nice

mema

memathomas

check out connecting threads online

thismomquilts

i loved reading everyone's responses here. I have sewn for, oh my goodness, years and years... mostly clothes until the last five or six years... when quilting sort of took over my life (!).
I'm not sure I understand the contradicting concept of buying less expensive (lower quality often) fabric for the quilts that DO need to last alot longer - i.e. our kids to play with... to me it seems more logical to buy better fabric because it will last longer - or so it seems is the reason we buy the better fabric to begin with. I bought fabric at a non-LQS for both sons' quilts. One is not falling apart - the other is doing well. Equal use/equal wear and tear. When I make the one over again :) I will use better quality fabric, even though he is only 13 and will probably drag it to more camping trips over the next few years. I agree with the idea of spending only what we can afford. I do know that often one can find much better quality fabric for the same price as the non-LQS stores - just have to be patient and watch closely.
I did learn something new - - I was not aware that fabric made overseas was fumigated!!! I am a strong believer, anyways, of buying American and love Connecting Threads for that reason. I try to buy American made supplies,etc. along with fabric as much as I can. Thankful moreso now that I know about the fumigation from other countries.
Not trying to be a fabric police or look down my nose here at all - - - I just like the concept of buying American made... can't always do it, but do really like to when I can.

Edie

What are the names of fabric companies here in the United States. I would certainly prefer to buy U.S. also.

I may be breaking every cardinal rule in quilting, but before I do my sashing, border and backing I wash the fabric. When I make the blocks on my quilts, I don't! I use pieces of this and that and I have mostly fat quarters and traded pieces. When I get the quilt all done and ready to go, I throw it in the washer. In the summer it hangs outside on the line to dry. In the winter, I put it in the dryer. Never have had a problem. Probably the luck of an idiot! Just thought I would mention it! Edie

Newby0709

Thanks feline fanatic for the comment about polyester batting. I have so much to learn. I appreciate you taking time for education. I checked and I currently am using polyester. I think it will be ok because I am recycling my son's disgarded army uniforms, not some heirloom. I just want to give something to his two children for fun.

Riversong

This discussion sure comes up a lot. Without intending any offense,I use a LOT of Walmart fabric. Fortunately ours has some decent quality .Others I have visited have lesser quality. All are not the same,and some of their fabrics are THE SAME as LQS. They buy in quantity so they can sell cheaper.I am on a fixed income and LQS fabric is not an option for me,,actually,I am thankful to have Walmart still available.Some of us can't afford to be fabric snobs and it hurts sometimes to be made to feel your work is inferior because you used a fabric some would shun.I use what I can afford,and my projects are a labor of love.It's funny how our grandmothers made quilts from feed sacks,and now people pay LQS prices for reproductions of them!!!The feed sack era ladies would have gone nuts over Walmart fabrics!!! It's all relative....you do what you have to do to fit your lifestyle and budget...

pam1966

I shop everywhere- Hancock's, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, my LQS, and online. The "feel" test is the most important, IMO. Online is a little tougher. I understand that online is cheaper than my LQS because they don't have the expense of a store, etc etc, so I try to patronize my LQS as much as possible, but money is tight so that doesn't always happen. And of course the selection online is much wider. I just bought some Moda's "Nature's Notebook" online from OldCountryFabrics.com for $7.40 a yard- my LQS doesn't even carry that line.

Maybe there should be a FAQ about this- along with pre-washing fabric, pressing seams open or to the side.....I haven't been quilting for long but I sure do know the hot topics!!

Rose Marie

I buy from Walmart for backings. Saves alot of money and it dosnt matter that it is not top quality.
Some of thier fabrics are pretty good and are the same as quilt shops. I have seen the exact fabrics in shops and could not see any difference.
Now some of thier fabrics are just awful so you do need to be careful.