# Brands to stay away from



## SeaGoat (Aug 17, 2012)

Does anyone have brands of fabric they stay away from because of bleeding, shrinking, etc?

Any go-to brands?


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Generally speaking, anything that's $10 or so a yard at a quilt shop is going to be the good stuff. JoAnn/Hobby Lobby carries a mid-range and WalMart is downright cheap. To actual brand, Moda is my favorite.



If you can, weigh a yard of fabric from each type of shop. You'll see that a quilt shop's is usually about 7oz a yard, JoAnn's is about 5 and WalMart will be 4 or so.

That said, I won't say there's fabric I stay away from, so much as fabrics I use for different purposes. That is, I won't use WM fabric in quilts because they just won't wear the way I expect them to. But for those cute little cafe curtains in my kitchen? WalMart is fine...


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

When I make a denim quilt I make them so the seam allowances are on the denim side and the fraying pretty fabric makes a pretty grid on the denim side. High end quilt fabric does not work well for this because it won't fray. Midgrade fabric is better, Joanne's for instance. You could use Walmart as well, but it won't hold up to the kind of use and care I expect a denim to get.

I would use Joanne fabric for aprons, and they even have fabric designed for aprons. For a quilt I go to Moda, Robert Kaufman, and others of that quality.


----------



## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

I really like the Andover and Red Rooster lines. I stay away from Fabri-Quilt. I was longarming for a customer and had marked some lines with the purple disappearing pen. I always spritz with water to get rid of the lines after quilting, just to make sure they truly disappear. I slid my hand across a few barely damp fabrics after spritzing--my hand had blue and red on it! My customers are all made aware that I spritz with damp water on custom quilts...thank heavens. I did give her a heads up that the fabrics had bled just from the spritzing, but I felt really bad for her. She brought it in and showed it to me after washing, and it looked tye-dyed. I need to mention that she HAD ALREADY pre-washed before piecing the quilt. JMHO


----------



## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Most quilt shop fabrics are great. One brand I had a lot of trouble with is South Sea Imports. Beautiful stuff, but I had a heck of a time with it fraying/shredding. It may have just been that run, but I've not tried it again.

All the other big players, ie, Moda, Andover, Robert Kauffman et al, are great, in my experience.

I will not put Joann Fabrics stuff down. Most of it is not that bad, but you have to pay attention. You can usually tell by the "hand" or the feel of it. For ordinary everyday use quilts I think most of it is fine. They won't last forever. If you are doing something that you want to be around for a much longer time, hold up much better, "heirloom" quality stuff, definitely spend on the good stuff. I have many quilts from Joann stuff too, and they're okay.

As far as bleeding, batiks are notorious for bleeding. I know the great debate about prewash/don't prewash, but I'd never risk a batik without at LEAST rinsing it and see how it performs. Retayne works wonders for batiks helping hold their color, used BEFORE putting into a quilt

In my opinion, and that's all it is, MY opinion, I prewash everything except precuts. Add a couple color catchers.

Deeper reds, blues and purples seem to cast off the most dye. If you want to risk it, up to you. Dye processes are much better than in years past, but I would be heartsick if I had a quilt get messed up from bleeding.


----------



## CJ (May 10, 2002)

Moda, Andover, Henry Glass, Robert Kaufman, they are all great fabrics.


----------



## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

I don't have particular brands. Nor do I subscribe to the theory that because a fabric comes from a quilt shop that it is good quality. One of the worst fabrics I ever worked with (fraying, bleeding, shrinking) came from a quilt shop.* Location of purchase is no indication of quality. *I have worked with some wonderful fabrics that have come from a variety of locations. You have to look carefully and feel any fabric before purchase regardless of where you are buying it from.


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Like I said, usually _cost_ of the fabric is the indicator of quality. 


Quilt shops will also carry cheap fabrics too because they might have lines that people want. Springs' character prints come immediately to mind.


----------



## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

ErinP said:


> Like I said, usually _cost_ of the fabric is the indicator of quality.
> 
> 
> Quilt shops will also carry cheap fabrics too because they might have lines that people want. Springs' character prints come immediately to mind.


Cost is also not, in my experience, an indicator of quality. I have made wonderful quilts with very inexpensive fabric. Those things wear like iron, no fading and still wonderfully soft. But to each his own. I personally refuse to pay upwards of $10-12 per yard for fabric that doesn't perform any better than fabric bought for $5 per yard.


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Like I said, weigh it. 
More expensive fabric almost always weighs more, also. That's because of higher thread count. 



I'm glad you've had good luck, but my experience has been the opposite. Generally speaking, the cheaper the fabric, the faster it'll wear out.


----------



## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

See, this is a tough one, because I agree with both of you. LOL. 

In "olden times" quilts were made with scraps - leftovers from garment making or garments that had been worn past their wearability. We still see some of those quilts around today, so they held up decently.

It is absolutely true that higher quality fabrics cost more money. HOWEVER, unavailability or inability to afford to put this fabric in all your quilts should NOT stop one from making quilts! USE WHATEVER YOU CAN AFFORD. I think oftentimes it is the use and "abuse" of quilts that wears them down so fast, not necessarily the fabric it's made from. I make quilts, and I also put my quilts (well, most of them) in the washer AND dryer (gasp!). I KNOW this is bad for them. In summer I do hang them out. My quilts are made to be USED. If they last 20 or 50 or 100 years, cool. If not, cool too. They were used and loved and brought comfort and warmth to whoever has used them up. To me, that's more important than having them survive long term. Of course, I don't want to spend the time making them and then have them destroyed immediately too! 

Nice fabrics can be found in a lot of places - I've scored at yard sales and thrift stores, and as I said above, I do buy from Joann at times too. But, there is definitely more stock/variety of "good stuff" at quilt shops.


----------



## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Just wanted to add that for the first 6-7 years of my quilt making my fabric came exclusively from Joann - then my friend turned me on to quilt shops...uh oh.. LOL. The rest is history.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I guess i am more worried about types of fabrics than specific lines. I admit, I am a fabric snob and I like batiks, and Moda from the quilt store. there is a different feel to the hands with Moda fabric

I stay away from fabrics with large areas of metallic printing, or white on white printing, because they dont like a good hot iron. 

my test for a fabric that i can touch is do I like the way it feels in my hand, can i see my hand through it, and if the pattern is printed on does it feel sticky... after that if i like it i buy it. 

ohh and if you need a batting recommendation, i like warm and natural. I tried the bamboo stuff and it separated in the quilt and you can feel large hunks of it bunched together, so eventually i need to pull it apart, put in new batting and put it back together.



(oops apparently mr. Greencountypete was using my computer, last night. this is MrsGCPete, although he has strong opinions on fabric too)


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> HOWEVER, unavailability or inability to afford to put this fabric in all your quilts should NOT stop one from making quilts! USE WHATEVER YOU CAN AFFORD.


I agree. 
Again, just repeating from my first post, I don't _have_ brands I stay away from. Even dirt cheap ones. 
I just have different purposes. For that matter, I've never had a complaint with cheap fabrics in a wall quilt, or one that stays in the guest room. Basically quilts that don't get a lot of abuse.

Another example was my daughter's dresses when she was little. They were almost always WalMart fabrics because that's where the bug would bite  , and because she'd _outgrow_ them long before the fabric wore out.



> I make quilts, and I also put my quilts (well, most of them) in the washer AND dryer (gasp!). I KNOW this is bad for them. In summer I do hang them out. My quilts are made to be USED.


Me too. And, like Dandish, when I first stated quilting JoAnn's was my top end. Those were my _good_ fabrics. The logic of paying, then, about $6 a yard in a quilt shop was insane! 
But, about 12 years later, my early quilts have gotten threadbare whereas my higher quality ones I made a few years later are still looking new. My daughter has a quilt I made her about 8 years ago, out of high-end fabrics that has been thoroughly abused (dragged around, lays on the floor, part of a wet bed more times than I can count, etc. For several years, it was getting washed/dried _weekly_) and other than where it's faded from her south window! it still looks new.
i'm not sure I care if a quilt lasts for 50 years or more, but I do want it to last more than 10.


----------



## Classof66 (Jul 9, 2011)

Sometimes the bargain tables at Hancock, (not the store in Paducah) or other discount stores will have really good quality fabric too. Bolt ends, seconds, etc. 

Several years ago I ordered one of the 50lb. deals from Hice. They make scrubs and smocks, etc. and the fabric was advertised as blends. I just could not resist. I was still working and never got around to sewing any of it, its buried in my storeroom/ fabric vault somewhere. It was nice fabric tho, and cute prints, would be great for kids, or Linus project quilts. I would imagine since scrubs often take a beating, that the fabric would make some durable quilts. It was a really reasonable price. I looked at their website just now hicesewing.com/quilt_pieces.htm 50 cents per lb. minimum order 50 lb. they are currently out of prints but it looks like solids are available.

I might go digging for my stash today.

Anybody else ever order from them?


----------



## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

Classof66 said:


> Sometimes the bargain tables at Hancock, (not the store in Paducah) or other discount stores will have really good quality fabric too. Bolt ends, seconds, etc.
> 
> Several years ago I ordered one of the 50lb. deals from Hice. They make scrubs and smocks, etc. and the fabric was advertised as blends. I just could not resist. I was still working and never got around to sewing any of it, its buried in my storeroom/ fabric vault somewhere. It was nice fabric tho, and cute prints, would be great for kids, or Linus project quilts. I would imagine since scrubs often take a beating, that the fabric would make some durable quilts. It was a really reasonable price. I looked at their website just now hicesewing.com/quilt_pieces.htm 50 cents per lb. minimum order 50 lb. they are currently out of prints but it looks like solids are available.
> 
> ...


I've never been brave enough to order fabric online. I HAVE to touch it before I buy. Sounds like a great deal though.


----------

