Alex's quilt that he sleeps with was made from Wal-Mart fabric. The trip to the country quilt was made from fabric bought at Joann's. The flannel quilt I'm working on for Alex is all Wal-Mart fabric.
I was just looking at my LQS and there are definitely some fabrics I love on the site but at $7-8 a yard it could get pricey quick and I just don't have that type of money. I really love these butterfly prints that have been marked down to $4 which is a steal for a LQS when they used to be 8.75 a yard!
See aren't they pretty? But I'm pretty partial to butterflies as they're my favorite :)
9 comments:
I usually buy from Fabric Depot, which is a local fabric store. They carry quilt shop fabric, which ia very spendy. I buy mostly off the remnant rack, which is discounted, but not large pieces. I do buy from JoAnns also. I buy what I can afford and go from there. The quilts get used, wear out, and I make more.
I buy from Wal-Mart, JoAnn's, eBay and dye my own.
Yeah, I didn't mention the LQS... don't really buy there. I'd rather have a quilt quickly loved into pieces then have a masterpiece hanging on the wall, collecting dust.
I buy tools and other notions at my LQS when I'm in the US just to support the business, but I buy most of my fabric at a salvage and surplus store in Maine that has top quality fabrics (several seasons old) for less than half the price. Then I splurge once in a while at a quilt show. Sometimes I buy from Joann's, too, especially for baby quilts that will get lots of love and wear, but don't need to last forever. A good discount online source is http://www.fabricshack.com/ - they have a Sale-a-Bration section.
I buy what I like whereever I may see it. I do love the LQS fabrics and try to use them. However, if I am doing a mystery, I usually go to JoAnnes or Hobby Lobby or such. I'd hate to spend $$ on something I don't even know if I will like. I also judge a lot by 'feel' as well as price. Like so many others, my work will never be heirloom either.
I buy quilt shop fabric - only as much as I can afford - because I think for my time spent I should get the best results possible. I also want to support my local quilt shops - if we don't they will go out of business and we won't have that resource. That's where we can get the best help and service. They all have sales at least 2-3 times a year, so that's when I stock up.
I don't like Joann's fabric as it's usually always lesser quality. I don't shop Walmart at all because I detest their business practices and I refuse to support them. Our Michael's doesn't carry fabric and Hobby Lobby doesn't exist in the Northwest. Fabric Depot in Portland, OR is a great resource as they have 40% off all fabric" days at least every other month.
Using www.quiltshops.com you can find fabric you want at lower prices on the Internet. www.zandsfabrics.com is also a marvelous resource of quilt shop quality fabrics at lower prices.
I generally buy from thousandsofbolts.com - thier fabrics run from 3.50-5.50/yard. They are quilt store fabrics - Moda, Bernatex, etc. They are a bit older lines that are seprated into color. Shipping is reasonable too - you can get flat-rate shipping (I think up to 6 yards) for $5. I ordered 12 yards at once (a couple of times) and UPS was $10. They have several different shipping options (UPS,FEDEX,USPS) available at checkout and give the price right there (it is based on yardage). They even sell by the bolt (I bought a 15 yard bolt of dark blue moda, for $35 including shipping. They are friendly - I once ordered a yard of fabric (you can only buy by the yard) and they had less (about 32") - they called me the next day and asked if I still wanted the fabric and credited me for 1/4 yard of the fabric. I usually shop at that store before moving to somehwere else.
I have bought at quilt stores - generally the local ones when I am in the area when something catches my eye or I need something specific when thousandsofbolts does not have what I need.
A lot of people around here will only buy from LQS to support them, but I cannot afford it either. Most of my fabric is from Joann, but sometimes I go to Hancock or Walmart, and if I can't find anything there, I might go to the LQS for a special project.
For years I couldn't afford anything but Wal-mart, JoAnns and Hancocks. So I have lots of those fabrics in my stash and use them quite often. But I really love Quilt Shop fabric. You really can tell the difference by the feel and they do generally last longer in your projects. So mostly I buy quilt shop fabric. But RARELY do I pay full price for it. I shop the bargain bins and also buy a lot from thousandsofbolts online.
Now If I need fabric for a quilt where I just want to try a pattern or technique and don't have anything on hand that will do I tend to get those from Hancocks, JoAnns etc as I can usually find something that will work and I don't really want to spend a lot of money on projects that I'm not sure I'm going to like.
But MOSTLY lately I shop my stash first. :-)
I buy my fabric at our local Ben Franklin, online sites, and JoAnn's
I am not familiar with LQS, must not be around our area.
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