In my town there is no shortage of fast food burgers to be had. By in large they are all the same and while eating one will not kill you there is little to recommend these places with the exception of speed of service and location ease.
On the other hand there is also a small place, on the far side of town, owned by a young couple and they make the most amazing burger out of fresh locally gown beef and what can only be called magic or love. Hell, they make their own freaking ketchup! This burger is harder to get, farther away and costs nearly 4 times as much as the fastfood burger and it is worth every damn penny!
Can I afford to eat at the place of the magical burger all the time … no. But by not eating at the fastfood place each time it strikes me I CAN afford to eat there on occasion and I am never disappointed in having given up the lesser burgers for the chance to have this slice of heaven on a bun.
I am sure you can see where I am going with this..but if not here is the deal. For the most part ( <— pay attention there) you CAN afford quilt store quality fabric for your project and you can avoid buying lesser fabric at a big-box store. But it is a choice. If you like shopping at your big-box please do, their ambiance and customer service are never going to win you over but if using that 40% off coupon makes your heart flutter then party on!! Shopping there is a totally valid choice just as eating at the Golden Arches is, it is all about choice.
It is not that you are never going to catch me in one of those stores just like I would ever say that I have not bolted down a Big Mac in a moment of dinner desperation,I just know the choice I am making in the moment. Just like I know that the quality of fabric I can purchase at that big-box is (this is a fact) is a lower quality in both print and greige good than what I could buy at a quilt store.
If you know the choice you are making as an educated consumer then you can decide what is best for you at any one time and adjust your expectations accordingly. Example- Heirloom quilt for your first grandchild or sort lived novelty print for a dorm-room throw… again choices.
The truth is that sometimes our budgets are wicked thin and yet we still desire to create so choices have to be made and it does not always have to mean choosing the “fast food” option.
- For goodness thing, shop your stash and know what you have. Most people who have been sewing for any length of time have quilt a little stock pile of fabric that they can work from. Perhaps there is something in there to start you off on your next project, then add a small amount of fabric from your favorite LQS to make it all sing?
- Embrace scrappy quilting – yes I know not everyone loves scrappy quilting and it is an art to do it right but the scrappy quilter is almost never without supplies to work with and in fact can become the person the non-scrappy quilters off-load their gorgeous scraps on without a thought. It is like Christmas every day!
- Become a ~ Complicated Quilter~ yes, become one of those joyous fussbudgets who likes really complicated projects that take lots of time and effort. Two breathtaking quilts a year can beat 20 big block quilts any day.
- Get out of the quilt store all together. Some of the most interesting quilts I have seen are still being made with clothing scrap. Just the other day I saw one made from men’s dress shirts and Peppered cotton yardage and it was STUNNING.
- Dare I say it, don’t quilt so much for yourself. If you love the act of quilting but your budget is thin start quilting for charity. Most programs have TONS of fabric they can give you to create to your heart’s content. Yes you pass the quilt onto someone in need when it is done but if you are sewing for the joy of creation a photo on your phone of the finished quilt can feel just as amazing as yet another quilt stacked up on your sofa.
Quilting is a hobby and like most things it is riddled with choice, and making them as an educated consumer gives us the best advantage possible. If you would like to gain a bit more education at the differences between Quilt store and other fabric grades feel free to click the article below.
Some thoughts from Pat Sloan on understanding fabric quality CLICK HERE
Now I ask YOU a question. What concessions do you make in your quilting in order to afford the best fabric possible?.. leave a comment below!
I have to l-o-v-e the fabric and am not allowed to but more than 2 or 3 yards. Most important is that I enjoy the feel/ texture, and I willingly accept the inherent added cost. It’s hard to order offline with my limited knowledge but going to QuiltCon was insightful. I will buy notions and batting from That Store with coupons. I also recycle using vintage sheets or old clothes. I like what I like.
I have been shopping my stash lately. I am grateful for the LQS in the area and visit them often.
Thank you from a small independent quilt store owner. The battle for survival is ongoing.
I buy retail when the project needs it. I keep a drawerful of fabric for backings but other than that a tiny stash. So my concession is I will buy a specific fabric for the right look – no matter what the cost (within reason).
Great essay, and so much truth there. As someone relatively new to quilting, I’ve made all the stash acquisition mistakes. I collected a stash to use up now that I have gravitated towards a style and designers I like best. I chalk this up to the Cosmos telling me I need to make quilts to donate somewhere with those less wise purchases. One thing really bothers me about this issue, though. It’s the snobs who proclaim that they wouldn’t put in all those hours working on cheap fabric. Well, la-de-da, as my mom used to say. All those Church Lady types should stfu. Who are they to suggest someone on a very tight budget shouldn’t be allowed in the Hallowed Halls of Quilting? I hate that inconsiderate and arrogant attitude. Remember the roots of quilting please, and cut the classist thing. /rant over
Your la-de-das would be shush shushing my use of thrifted fabric then.
I bought half-yard cuts of an entire line for a quilt, but put the lovely stack of fabrics away when the quilt took a different direction. I felt bad about the waste, but hoped it would be useful at some point. Three years later (last month) my oldest dearest friend is diagnosed with breast cancer and I must make her a quilt for chemo. That fabric was precisely her taste – like I picked it out specifically for her. The amount of fabric I had was exactly what I needed. It was truly a moment of grace, I can’t describe it. It’s like I picked it out for her, just three years early so that I would have it on hand when it was critically needed. This experience has changed my mind about ‘wasting’ $$ on the ‘wrong’ fabric”
I work in a quilt shop – that’s how I concede 😉
I love this post. It is just what I needed to clarify what I think and what I wish to do in purchasing fabric from this day forward. Bless you for your thoughtfulness and keen insight.
Choices ~ so well said in this article & comments! I appreciate that we have choices! But not all quilters & sewists have choices financially & should not be criticized for what they can afford. Almost all of the quilts that I complete are gifts ~ very few are heirlooms but all are made with love! For heirloom quilts I do want to use best quality fabrics but if I find something & it’s a decent cotton at a chain store that might go perfectly with the fabrics I’ve already selected for any quilt project I don’t hesitate to purchase it! Choices!!
How can we verify that all the fabric “you know where” is a lesser quality. One of the LQS stores near me orders from Blank fabric. It is not very good at all. But, I also know that one hobby store carries Kona which several LQS stores also carry and I use quite a bit. I absolutely support my favorite LQS and order BOM’s from the famous BOM place . You can’t beat that 40% off coupon though. I managed a retail paint store for 18 years for a large paint company. I understand that you can’t always put everything on sale. But, it’s a nice gesture to your supporting customers to have an occasional sale day.
Good questions Anna!… We all will have out favorite fabric companies and each starts with a different Greige ( say Gray) goods… I happen to really love the hand of Art Gallery fabric and that of Michael Miller. Some companies choose better than others based on where they want to sit their bottom line. I will admit that Blank is not a favorite of mine as well, but for some it is their cup of tea. The Kona thing is interesting… they started that line for big box stores and sell them a limited color selection that is then often mixed at the store with other solids that sometimes are even part poly ( always check the end of the bolt!!) Most big-box don’t want to invest in the larger color-line that Kona (which is Robert Kaufman fabrics) creates..but you can find it at your LQS. As a note, if you want some solids that feel like BUTTER search out the Couture Cotton line by Michale Miller… DIVINE ( and I don’t work for them at ALL!)
I see pictures of “stash” and wonder – who has enough life left? Just sayin’
Thus the term SABLE was born – stash accumulation beyond lifetime expectancy!
Most quilt stores have a clearance section, making the fabric very affordable. I look first there for something I can use for backing or borders,you might be pleasantly purprised.
I use muslin as filler fabric and backing quite a lot. I also order the muslin online by the bolt. Can’t beat the price per yard and it is very high quality.
I often use a less-expensive (but sturdy) muslin backing on my quilts, and buy the piecing fabrics for my blocks from my LQS. The backing isn’t as important to me as the top, my gifted isn’t going to ooh-and-ahh over the backing. They don’t give a crap about that backing. It’s like fabric softener – nobody is going to notice that you you’re using the inexpensive store brand when you do the laundry instead of the name brand!!
I tend to be frugal and actually like saving money and buying fabric at the big box stores, but I do have some suggestions.
1. Stop buying fabric for the stash. When you buy fabric for an existing project, only buy what you need for that project. I have a couple of quilts that I bought fabric for every time I went shopping, and I am pretty sure I could make 4 or 5 of that quilt and still not run out of fabric.
2. When you do buy fabric just because it is pretty, don’t just buy it and put it away. The buying joy only lasts a little while if you do that. Use it as a table cover, hang it up on a bulletin board, enjoy the new fabric and extend the happiness mileage out of it.
3. Like you said, use up the fabric in the stash, with a supplement of new fabric if you need. Your quilt will look modern and exotic at the same time.
4. You also said this, but make the more complicated, heirloom quilts as your skill level improves instead of going for the quilt in a day option. There is real joy in seeing a big project come to fruition. I especially like the ones where each block is different, so it doesn’t get boring over time.
5. One thing they tell you about time management is to put your project on a calendar. You will soon realize you don’t have time to make all those quilts you are envisioning. No need to buy fabric now for a quilt you want to make way in the future. Save some room (in your house, in your budget, in your mind) for new fabric collections that come out in the future.
I try and buy from my local quilt shop, if they don’t have what I need I go online or shop Spoonflower, especially if I need a weird fabric such as clocks, lottery tickets, or money.But there are times I go to the “big stores”, but not often. It really depends on what is nearby- sometimes the only fabric stores are the chain ones.
Like everything I shop what I feel is the right tool for the job. Just as I buy generic laundry detergent and specific on-brand kitty litter (that literally gets crapped on and thrown away): one I don’t care so much about but the other makes me (and everyone in my house!) sad if I scrimp. Another person may think that’s nuts! I use cheap fabric for my one block wonder wall hanging because it’s stiff, comes in fabulously weird patterns and I need a ton of it AND I get a coupon to boot, but I would never want it close to my skin. For fine work, bedding or if I want a good looking batik; that’s where the highest quality fabric come in and I head to my LQS and happily pay the price.
As the fur-mother of 6 cats… ALWAYS pay for the good cat litter 🙂
I buy wood stove pellets for kitty litter-/40# for less than $6! Works great!! I just switched them over gradually.
Love this article. Life is all about choices. Truly we reap what we sew!
This year I am selecting fabrics and colors outside my comfort zone. Dreaming of new and different. I shop LQS for that reason. They know me and I love their input when I’m stuck. I also enjoy their classes not often but enough to keep me inspired on new processes. The most recent appliqué and I took two classes in that. Not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed the people and seeing their creativity in process. Big box only for notions, LQS for fabric.
I keep a journal of quilt projects I am working on. This keeps me from impulsive shopping. Sometimes you can just go crazy and buy a few things that don’t go with a project. I have a lot of UFOs so I watch what i do. Enjoying finishing those 15-20 year old projects.
We recently had the area shop hop which when mapped was a whopping 300 miles, would have required two days and nearly 14 hours on the road. While I would love to see all those cute shops I did the math and decided that I could take my time and gas money to the two shops I actually frequent and buy enough fabric for one large project and two smaller ones. So no I didn’t get to enter the local contests (is it really fair to take the prize from a shop you have never visited and likely will not again until next shop hop? Another choice…) and I didn’t get to see those shops this year but I gave the other two shops the business they deserve for the wonderful service they provide. I will visit the others next time.
Quilting is an expensive hobby. The way it all comes together is piece by piece, meaning you don’t have to buy all of it together. You can purchase the block material first, the the sashing fabric, then the borders, then the batting, then the back and finally the binding fabric. Just purchase what you need for the job at hand. It’s also nice that shops will offer a discount on fabric when you sign up for the class.
Yes, I’m using my stash in scrappy quilts, and I love the freedom and creativity in combining fabrics from my stash. This year I’ve decided to make one long-term project, and purchased top quality fabrics at full price from LQS to make it worth my time and effort. Since I love affirmations, I post progress shots on IG, and find it as fulfilling as the finish shots.
I’ve had a few client quilts where they’ve used a high quality muslin for the quilt back. It highlights the quilting and doesn’t break the bank. 😁
Living on the rural area helps cut down on purchases. But once you get in stores its like Christmas where only the budget cuts the love to a limit….having a stash is important
I try to buy what I have a plan for. Have bought fabrics I love that don’t seem to go with anything!
I have learned to only buy what I love. Occasionally I break that rule for a backing or a color I lack in my stash, but buying what I LOVE limits what I buy.