Shanazel
Moderator
Spinoff from the Egyptian Costumes are Lacking thread. Share your comments on fabric and notion quality: what is worth having and what to avoid.
You usually get what you pay for. The stuff that WalMart and other discount stores carry is usually cheap on price and cheap in quality. Manufacturers add sizing and othe things to the cloth to make it look good in the store. A washing or some regular use deteriorates the fabric quickly and you're left with a rag much sooner than if you'd gone to a better store.
Fabric stores like Joanne's and Hancock are medium range though if you are careful you can find some great buys on the flat fold tables. This is where I've bought most of my fabric over the years; I haunt the flat fold tables.
High end fabric stores keep high end quality, but even then you have to be careful about what you are buying. I bought some beautiful green raw silk that I've never been able to use because the dye is not stable and rubs off on everything. I was furious later on when one of the clerks told me they knew about the problem with the silk. By that time it was too late because the owner had retired. That was the only trouble I had with their fabric, though. I bought a TON when they went out of business and the stuff has over all been excellent.
I love going to Elfrieda's Fine Fabric in Boulder just to watch Elfrieda cut fabric. She never measures, just unfurls the fabric on the table and whacks off the amount you ask for. I bought half a dozen quarter yards of silk dupioni for a project; when she was done cutting there wasn't a quarter inch difference in the widths. A friend told me that Elfrieda buys her silk from Thai Silk so I buy from Thai when I need to- cheaper than a trip to Boulder and Elfrieda's markup, I've had great luck with Thai. They sent the wrong silk once and when I called to tell them about it, they had the right stuff on my doorstep within 48 hours.
Fabric mills actually turn out differnt qualities for different markets. The chiffon at Hancoks doesn't compare with what I got at the high end store. It is particularly noticeable in things like quilting fabric. I can't believe people make quilts from discount house fabric- that cotton is sized within an inch of its life. Off grain, third run dye process on the prints... bite the bullet and buy good stuff if you want your quilts to last under use.
You usually get what you pay for. The stuff that WalMart and other discount stores carry is usually cheap on price and cheap in quality. Manufacturers add sizing and othe things to the cloth to make it look good in the store. A washing or some regular use deteriorates the fabric quickly and you're left with a rag much sooner than if you'd gone to a better store.
Fabric stores like Joanne's and Hancock are medium range though if you are careful you can find some great buys on the flat fold tables. This is where I've bought most of my fabric over the years; I haunt the flat fold tables.
High end fabric stores keep high end quality, but even then you have to be careful about what you are buying. I bought some beautiful green raw silk that I've never been able to use because the dye is not stable and rubs off on everything. I was furious later on when one of the clerks told me they knew about the problem with the silk. By that time it was too late because the owner had retired. That was the only trouble I had with their fabric, though. I bought a TON when they went out of business and the stuff has over all been excellent.
I love going to Elfrieda's Fine Fabric in Boulder just to watch Elfrieda cut fabric. She never measures, just unfurls the fabric on the table and whacks off the amount you ask for. I bought half a dozen quarter yards of silk dupioni for a project; when she was done cutting there wasn't a quarter inch difference in the widths. A friend told me that Elfrieda buys her silk from Thai Silk so I buy from Thai when I need to- cheaper than a trip to Boulder and Elfrieda's markup, I've had great luck with Thai. They sent the wrong silk once and when I called to tell them about it, they had the right stuff on my doorstep within 48 hours.
Fabric mills actually turn out differnt qualities for different markets. The chiffon at Hancoks doesn't compare with what I got at the high end store. It is particularly noticeable in things like quilting fabric. I can't believe people make quilts from discount house fabric- that cotton is sized within an inch of its life. Off grain, third run dye process on the prints... bite the bullet and buy good stuff if you want your quilts to last under use.
