I often receive emails from my readers inquiring about the fabric I've used. I occasionally buy less expensive fabric at local stores like Hobby Lobby or Hancock Fabrics, but when I want a better quality designer fabric I always buy online. One of my favorite online sources is Fabric.com. This online store has fabrics of all types, but I love browsing their quilting fabric section.
For those who may not know the difference between a good quality 100% cotton quilting fabric and a less-expensive cotton fabric here's the scoop:
Quality Quilting Fabric...
A quality quilting fabric is 100% cotton and is firmly and closely woven. If you hold it up to
the light you won't be able to see through it very well because of the close and even weave. It will feel "smooth." There won't be variations in the weave or lumps in
the threads. A quality quilting fabric has a well-known designer label on the selvage. I've found it repels dirt better than a less expensive fabric because of its tighter weave. In my opinion these quality fabrics have more contemporary designs and are {in plain terms} prettier! These fabrics are about $9-$11 a yard. Below is an example of a bag I made with a quality quilting fabric...
Lesser Quality Cotton...
I tend to use the more expensive fabrics, but both fabrics can work well depending upon the project. If you are going to make a craft item that you might not want to keep for a long time or one that will have little wear and tear, the less expensive fabric might work well for this purpose. If you are going to make an item that will get a lot of wear or one that you would like to enjoy for years, you might want to use top quality quilting fabrics like the ones below...
{Fabrics, l to r: Hope Valley Four Square Piney Woods Green; Lola's Posies Whimsy Leaf Green;
Lola's Posies Blue; Ty Pennington Impressions Foliage Chartreuse; & Ty Pennington Impressions Kimono Grey}
Just to be clear...
This is not a paid advertisement -- just some advice from mwaaaa.
{Fabrics, l to r: Moda Half Moon Modern Leaves Aqua/White; Hope Valley Thistle Leaf Piney Woods Green;
Lola's Posies Polka Dot Green; Wildwood Buttons Olive; Wildwood Sophie's Garden Green;
Wildwood Modern Vine Lime; & Wildwood Wallflower Green.}
Lola's Posies Polka Dot Green; Wildwood Buttons Olive; Wildwood Sophie's Garden Green;
Wildwood Modern Vine Lime; & Wildwood Wallflower Green.}
Fabrics l to r: Michael Miller Peacock Lane Falling Flowers Red; Michael Miller Peacock Lane Sprinkle Dots Pink;
Lola's Posies Polka Dot Pink; Lola's Posies Pink; California Dreamin Bedega Bay Pink; & California Dreamin Malibu Pink.}
Lola's Posies Polka Dot Pink; Lola's Posies Pink; California Dreamin Bedega Bay Pink; & California Dreamin Malibu Pink.}
