Walmart is selling fabrics ONLINE!
#35
Super Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo, which is near Niagara Falls)
Posts: 3,884
I looked at the fabrics at walmart.com.
Here's my take on it, kind of an "inside scoop".
A few of the fabrics are discontinued, out of print designs. Most were released within the past half-year and are "current". Most of them do appear to be by Springs Industries.
Wholesale price on these, to any LQS, would be $2.50 / yard and then you have to add about 25 cents / yard shipping for the shop to bring it in their door.
Do the math, and you will find that Wal-Mart is making $1.48 / yard less their freight costs.
Now consider whether you think a LQS can actually stay alive on a profit of only $1.48 / yard. I think they cannot!
The advantage to Wal-Mart, selling in pre-cut pieces, is that they do not have to hire someone to measure the fabric. Pre-cuts can "sell themselves" and that is a savings in efficiency (labor).
As to the quality of the goods... yes, the cloth is thinner than, say, fabric by Michael Miller or Robert Kaufman. Personally, I would stay away from thin light-colored fabrics just because seams and threads of darker fabrics will show through them. Thin darker-colored fabrics will not have this problem.
It's really quite important that there are fabrics available at all price ranges, because we don't want anyone to have to miss out on the fun of quilting ... right?
Here's my take on it, kind of an "inside scoop".
A few of the fabrics are discontinued, out of print designs. Most were released within the past half-year and are "current". Most of them do appear to be by Springs Industries.
Wholesale price on these, to any LQS, would be $2.50 / yard and then you have to add about 25 cents / yard shipping for the shop to bring it in their door.
Do the math, and you will find that Wal-Mart is making $1.48 / yard less their freight costs.
Now consider whether you think a LQS can actually stay alive on a profit of only $1.48 / yard. I think they cannot!
The advantage to Wal-Mart, selling in pre-cut pieces, is that they do not have to hire someone to measure the fabric. Pre-cuts can "sell themselves" and that is a savings in efficiency (labor).
As to the quality of the goods... yes, the cloth is thinner than, say, fabric by Michael Miller or Robert Kaufman. Personally, I would stay away from thin light-colored fabrics just because seams and threads of darker fabrics will show through them. Thin darker-colored fabrics will not have this problem.
It's really quite important that there are fabrics available at all price ranges, because we don't want anyone to have to miss out on the fun of quilting ... right?
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: N Texas
Posts: 1,134
Wal Mart had a wide muslin last week. Was 108" wide and sized for a queen quilt. It was marked down to $13.00. I opened the package just enough to touch the fabric. It was so thin I could see through it. Not for me!
#37
I've bought fabric at Wal-mart and I've been happy with what I've got so far. If anyone has seen my post "update on DiD I waste a yard of fabric" you will see most of the fabrics but the green 1 I have bought there. So far so good. I've also made a quilt from a panel they were selling with wolves and used their coordinating fabric for the back. It won a blue ribbon in the county fair and had been now washed many times due to all cats, dogs, and DH love to sleep with it. I havent had any problems with this fabric either.
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 673
i'll post the caveat again--i purchased a small quilt kit from them (VIP fabric) for a quickie "tummy time" quilt for a friend. when i cut it out, i was shorted one of the main fabrics by so much that i had to go to a local fabric store to try to duplicate what i was shorted. no luck. had to get the wrong fabric, which wrecked the pattern/layout, so the quilt still sits, because i was too discouraged to finish it. i contacted VIP and the outfit they had packaging the kits, and after one encouraging note from one rep, the next one all but called me and idiot and liar. i will never buy one of those kits again--ditto for the precuts. the fabric feels like sandpaper. jelly rolls have multiple strings hanging off of them.
i wish they'd just get a regular fabric section back, here!
i wish they'd just get a regular fabric section back, here!
#39
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