Harriet Hargrave's thouughts on LQS fabric

[IowaGal]

I checked out the book "The art of classic quiltmaking" by Harriet Hargrave and Sharyn Craig. I hope this puts to rest the endless debate over LQS fabric vs fabric from other sources. Thius quote is lifted, directly from her discussion about fabrics, page 18
"Thread count is one determinant of how many years a fabric can last, what chance the batting will have of coming through the fabric, what percentage of shrinkage there will be, and how high the print quality will be. You need to be aware that the thread count (and dye and finish quality) can fluctuate within a brand, within a season, and within different type of retailers. Thread count is not stated on the bolt board. Try not to depend on brand or price for quality and consistency. For the most part, today's cottons targeted for the quilting market are woven 68 threads per square inch in both the filling (crosswise grain) and the warp (lengthwise grain) directions. This is considered and even weave fabric, and is the easiest weave to work with when piecing and doing applique."

So, I guess, for me, this just confirms what I always thought. If I look for a tight even weave, I will be happy with at least, the durability of the fabric, no matter where I buy it. She had quite an interesting discussion on prewashing, the pros and cons, what colorfastnest REALLY is, and all kinds of interesting stuff. It was quite eye opening!

[sewcarolyn]

IowaGal--thank-you I always depend on how the fabric feels too. I do that with all fabrics, cotton, silks, wool etc... I am a fabric snob not based on price or where it is purchased or who manufactures it but on the quality, weave and texture of the fabric.