Found Collection

by **Dawnise Dope** » Fri, 16 Feb 1996 04:00:00

Greetings and Salutations to all!

Just got the courage to finally post a message and I hope that you will
forgive me if I sound a bit awkward. I am a self-educated quilter of a
few years (I pieced and quilted my first quilt while watching the
Olympic Ice Skating games!) and so I am not very familliar with a lot of
different fabrics.

My question is, how do you know whether a piece of fabric is of "good"
quality v. one that is of "poor" quality? I am sill a struggling
college student and I cannot afford $9.00/yd. fabric just yet, but I do
not want to buy something that is just going to fall apart or not have a
print remaining on it in the next few years either. Would someone be so
kind as to help me?

Thank you

...Dawnise

by **PatSall** » Sun, 18 Feb 1996 04:00:00

I judge the value of a fabric by feel and whether I can see through it.
Some purportedly very good cottons seem stiff and thin; while some
bargain-ba***t-priced cottons seem softer yet still substantial.

by **afult** » Mon, 19 Feb 1996 04:00:00

Quote:

>Greetings and Salutations to all!

>Just got the courage to finally post a message and I hope that you will
>forgive me if I sound a bit awkward. I am a self-educated quilter of a
>few years (I pieced and quilted my first quilt while watching the
>Olympic Ice Skating games!) and so I am not very familliar with a lot of
>different fabrics.

>My question is, how do you know whether a piece of fabric is of "good"
>quality v. one that is of "poor" quality? I am sill a struggling
>college student and I cannot afford $9.00/yd. fabric just yet, but I do
>not want to buy something that is just going to fall apart or not have a
>print remaining on it in the next few years either. Would someone be so
>kind as to help me?

>Thank you

>...Dawnise

Hi Dawnise,
Just be glad you live in the USA and not Canada, where quality
quilt fabrics often run up to $18 a metre(40"). You could always buy just
a few inches, wash and dry the fabric and see how it stands up. Keep track
of both good and poorer manufacturers, and watch for sales. Never buy from
a company whose fabrics have not stood up before. If you're careful and shop
around, there are bargains to be found!
Ann

by **Lisa** » Wed, 21 Feb 1996 04:00:00

You can learn by going into fabric stores and touching fabric;
good quality fabric feels good. Make sure it's 100% cotton (you
know that, right?). Also, watch out for fabrics that are stiff,
since that might mean they are sized - this will wash out over
time. Look closely at the threads; the gaps between them should
be as small as possible (the technical term for those are
interstices, though I may be spelling that wrong). Also, look at
the quality of the printing, as poor quality fabric often does
not have the impressions of the different colors aligned well.

Lisa

Found Collection

"Good" v. "Bad" fabric

"Good" v. "Bad" fabric

"Good" v. "Bad" fabric

"Good" v. "Bad" fabric

"Good" v. "Bad" fabric