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!
