Quilting Fabricby Rose
I've bought almost all my quilting fabric online from quilt shops. Two of them sold off-grain and over-printed fabrics. One was labeled Hoffman and the other Michael Miller. ANSWER This is a great question! In fact, I wrote an article about it called, Quilting Fabric...Deal or No Deal? I'll give you a summary here. "Griege Goods" refers to fabric that's taken directly off the loom. At this point, the fabric is in its natural form. That is, it doesn't contain any chemicals or dyes, and it hasn't been printed on yet. Manufacturers test their prints on griege fabrics. They want to make sure the color and design placements are correct. In essence, they "practice" printing on this fabric until they get it right. Even brand-name prints have to be tested. That's why you'll see a low-grade Michael Miller fabric in the store. More on this in a minute. Once they're done testing, they don't throw away the fabric. They sell it to discount stores and quilt shops who are willing to buy it. So, in answer to your question, yes, ANY quilt store can order griege fabric. The better stores won't do this, however. Some unscrupulous stores (including online shops) hide behind the brand name, hoping you won't notice the difference. Any quilt store can offer brand-name fabrics. But that doesn't mean they're brand-name QUALITY. A lot of quilters have the misconception that a brand name on the label means quality. It doesn't. The stores who participate in this scheme put profit first, and you, the customer, second. (That's why I wrote the article; I'm tired of people getting ripped off). What you have to consider is where you're buying it from. Understand that you can get a Hoffman or Michael Miller print on different grades of fabric. Fabric manufacturers print the same design on both cheap fabrics and quality fabrics. So, whether the online store offers quality fabric or not is entirely up to the store owner. The best way to find out if your fabric store carries griege fabrics is to ask them. If they do, tell them you want quality fabric, even if that means going to a competitor's shop. That will surely get their attention. If they value you as a customer, they'll rethink their buying strategies. It's hard to tell whether fabric is good or not when you're looking at a computer screen. So, stick with the companies who have given you first class products and service. Want to learn how to buy quality quilting fabric? Read my free quilting fabric guide!
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