tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post624233296493512975..comments2023-04-14T04:07:11.170-07:00Comments on State of the Craft: In Praise of Cheap FabricMichael5000http://www.blogger.com/profile/10148584819327475239noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-23310289442453000282008-02-18T21:29:00.000-08:002008-02-18T21:29:00.000-08:00Thanks to all of you for your comments; I'm glad s...<B>Thanks to all of you for your comments; I'm glad so many people found it an interesting read.<BR/><BR/>@feather: I've noticed that there aren't nearly as many quilt shops or high-end fabrics stores in the UK as there are here. I found a lovely little place near the cathedral in Carlisle, but I believe that's the only one I've been in.<BR/><BR/>@fitzy: You're right, there's certainly room between Discount and Premium. Also, for that matter, between Discount and Salvage. (Below Salvage, fabric is called "rags." Above Premium, it's called "silk.")<BR/><BR/>@jovali: An excellent point. I reflexively pre-shrink EVERYTHING, and only realized fairly recently that not everyone does that.<BR/><BR/>@pam: 22 years! Excellent!<BR/><BR/>@bethany: Thanks for the nice complement. This blog started out as me trying to explain quilting to my friends. As the readership has largely shifted to quilters, I'm finding that it's still interesting to write about the fundamentals of the craft. It starts interesting conversations.<BR/><BR/>@anjea: I <I>totally</I> agree with you about supporting the quilt shops. The good ones play an important role as community centers, and that's something worth supporting.<BR/><BR/>@rebel: Thats an interesting counterargument.<BR/><BR/>@libby: <I>This makes me want to write a post about the fine art of never paying full price for premium fabric.</I> = You write it, we'll read it!<BR/><BR/>@anon: It sounds like you've had some bad experiences with snooty individuals, but to be fair a lot of people who buy Premium fabric are very knowledgeable about what they are paying for and why. And, we shouldn't knock thread count; it's an important factor in fabric quality.<BR/><BR/>As I said in the post, when I buy fabric now I generally go Premium,. At the end of the day, though, the proof is in the product. Every time you make something really cool and/or lovely from Discount fabrics, you've proved your point.<BR/><BR/></B>Michael5000https://www.blogger.com/profile/10148584819327475239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-3454094884087606742008-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:002008-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:00Well said.I think using whichever fabric you can a...Well said.<BR/><BR/>I think using whichever fabric you can afford and is appropriate for what you intend it for is the best way to go. <BR/><BR/>Sometimes using the nice designer fabric can be really fun because it feels nice and is beautiful. That said, using less expensive fabric gives you more freedom to play around and try new things without feeling guilty about wasting money.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you posted on this, I think it's a good thing for new quilters, in particular, to keep in mind.Mistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07406265364982441732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-49604766982162587282008-02-16T08:51:00.000-08:002008-02-16T08:51:00.000-08:00THANK-YOU for a great post. I am so tired of "fab...THANK-YOU for a great post. I am so tired of "fabric snobs" - people who tell you quilt shop fabric is the best fabric and yet cannot tell you why it is better. I recently did a lot of research in this area of fabric quality and it comes down to (1) the length of the cotton in it's unproceesed state, (2) the tread count and (3) dying process. Fabric snobs are too stupid to know that most fabric all come from the same raw cotton bolls, and this industry is heavily regulated for quality. I'm not knocking high end fabrics but fabric snobs need to understand that they are also paying for the designer's name, the middle man, and the LQS owner who has to make a living at just selling fabric. Fabric snobs also say the "higher the price, the better the quality". Don't they realize how stupid this sounds. The same fabric costs more in Canada than it does in the U.S. and oftentimes more than when purchased from online sites and shipped to Canada! As you can see, I am very passionated about this topic and I could write more but won't bore you. As for me, I'll continue to buy my fabric from our largest fabric chain "Fabricland" and "Wal-Mart". Plus I'll continue to buy discounted designer fabric if I like it. Finally, while I can afford to pay $12 to $16 a meter for designer fabric at quilt shops, I refuse to do so, as I feel I am being royally fleeced. One last word; in Canada, any quilter who buys from Fabricland is snubbed by the fabric snobs. -Canadian Gail (at times like this, I wish I had a blog.) Oh yes, I also hear there are yarn snobs and thread snobs - Man, they are everywhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-33007663358964593542008-02-15T19:59:00.000-08:002008-02-15T19:59:00.000-08:00Great post - I definitely agree on every point. I...Great post - I definitely agree on every point. I bought pretty much all of my fabric at jo-anns all through college because, yeah, there is no other way I could have afforded to quilt. This makes me want to write a post about the fine art of never paying full price for premium fabric.Libbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07529250478920225750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-64367153718711029562008-02-14T23:08:00.000-08:002008-02-14T23:08:00.000-08:00Once again, you organize the facts and opinions to...Once again, you organize the facts and opinions to delight and inform!Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17274259856710507938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-47686211806201205392008-02-11T13:00:00.000-08:002008-02-11T13:00:00.000-08:00It's the same thing in knitting - different materi...It's the same thing in knitting - different materials have different pros & cons. That said, I was both awed & saddened when I first stepped foot into a quilt shop. I'd used discount fabrics in my first quilt and if I'd known so much better fabric was available, I would have used it.Rebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12835352917180439099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-56659931495065126742008-02-11T08:30:00.000-08:002008-02-11T08:30:00.000-08:00Nice post, I could not have said it better myself....Nice post, I could not have said it better myself.<BR/><BR/>Another reason why discount is o.k., many liscensed characters only live in discount shops & we all know that when "X" character is wanted only "X" will do.<BR/><BR/>For me, there will be no better compliment than to have a quilt retuned to me for "fixing" than one that has been loved to death. I am not making "you can't touch my quilt" quilts.The Calico Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06319271181930512880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-50932627274788120072008-02-10T09:48:00.000-08:002008-02-10T09:48:00.000-08:00The other thing you can do is buy the premium fabr...The other thing you can do is buy the premium fabric when it is on sale. I have gotten some of the older Kaffe Fassett fabrics for under $4 a yd. which allows me to have the variety I want in my quilts. <BR/>A lot of times the only bad thing about the cheap fabrics is that the print isn't registered right and there aren't as many screens used to print. I've never heard a baby complain about that yet.Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00064308660138307797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-3122886408927971852008-02-09T14:18:00.000-08:002008-02-09T14:18:00.000-08:00Man, you always nail it - I agree with you on ever...Man, you always nail it - I agree with you on every count. I started learning on the cheap stuff because I knew I'd screw up, and now in mid-life affluence (good term!) I can buy the expensive stuff so I do - against the day when I can't. I have also made my share of "salvage" quilts and I like those too -- in the end, it's all good, eh?<BR/>Having said all that, sometimes I feel guilty that quilting is becoming a bit of a hobby for the affluent only - I know most young'uns starting out can NO WAY afford all the toys and fabrics that we say we HAVE to have in order to make a quilt. Too bad -- and we need to encourage these kids to get fabric where they can, and enjoy the process.SuBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12453187922365894455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-44502110798260035402008-02-09T10:44:00.000-08:002008-02-09T10:44:00.000-08:00Don't remember how I found your blog, but I quite ...Don't remember how I found your blog, but I quite enjoy reading it! :D<BR/><BR/>I'm with you on the fabric thing - I tend to buy more premium fabric because I prefer to support the local businesses and I find more variation of prints. Maybe I'm just picky? :D<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the read. I added Feed Dog to my Google Reader, too!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17592846107148908416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-85495053152678966152008-02-09T10:31:00.000-08:002008-02-09T10:31:00.000-08:00I love all kinds of fabric from the JoAnn fabric t...I love all kinds of fabric from the JoAnn fabric to the premium stuff. If I like it and have a project in mind, I buy it. If I can get it on sale even better. <BR/><BR/>I think far too many new quilters are so intimidated by the cost of quilting that they never start. The first time I walked into a quilting store I about fainted when I saw how much a yard of fabric costs. <BR/><BR/>Your blog makes quilting practical and fun. It's nice to see that.Bethanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15164286285384762770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-13295973384698287152008-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:002008-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00I agree that the scrappy utility quilts do not nee...I agree that the scrappy utility quilts do not need the "premium" fabric. <BR/><BR/>My son was given a quilt that looked like it was made from old flannel pajamas and a it had and "unknown" fabric backing that wasn't flannel but it certainly wasn't cotton. It had his name across the back in scraps of flannel. That was 22 years ago and that quilt is still intact. It is so much fun to look at it now with all those old prints of rocket ships and such.Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01741073501328591544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-16776885996067453802008-02-09T05:07:00.000-08:002008-02-09T05:07:00.000-08:00I think you've made your point very well -- the ty...I think you've made your point very well -- the type of fabric should fit the purpose of the quilt. I'm in charge of the fabric stash for my guild's charity projects and I've sorted through a good many pieces of fabric. We can't use all of it, but we can use a wide range. It's important to wash lower quality fabrics before using (I wash everything, but the changes are biggest in lower-quality goods) to deal with bleeding and especially shrinking, which we have had more trouble with than we have with bleeding dyes. This is crucial if you are combining different kinds of fabric, as they may shrink at different rates (the biggest variation is in flannels). Also, some really cheap fabric never softens, even after washing, and that's not appropriate for a child's quilt. But using lower quality fabric we have made wonderful quilts that hold up to machine washing. One of the biggest problems I've heard of with less expensive fabrics is that they fade in sunlight more quickly, but we haven't seen that end of it.jovaliquiltshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04658198685121310571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-41665147088411888192008-02-09T04:03:00.000-08:002008-02-09T04:03:00.000-08:00I think you've missed a catagory tho. "Discount-P...I think you've missed a catagory tho. "Discount-Plus". You CAN find some better quality at Jo-Ann's but you have to know what to look for. That's my catagory for now. I'll save "the good stuff" when I'm more proficient and ready to make an heirloom piece.QuiltingFitzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15549596096039062349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29880024.post-19320409495913438532008-02-09T01:50:00.000-08:002008-02-09T01:50:00.000-08:00You are so right!There is very little non premium ...You are so right!<BR/>There is very little non premium fabric available in the UK and as a consequence quilting is really only done by the well off. (not always but mostly)<BR/>My first patchworks (the only way to find fabric here 20-30 years ago) were done with a lot of salvage fabric and the quilts are still going strong more than 20 years later. Yes they have faded but I like that, it shows they have been loved.Featheronawire Sally Bramaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12724148087746233712noreply@blogger.com