Applique Projects and Fabric Quality

Energized by spending time with stitching friends yesterday, I went home ready to start on a new applique quilt I saw in the July/August Quiltmania - a new project by Minick and Simpson called Rambling Rose.  I loved the colors and thought this could be a good challenge to make using only fabrics from stash.  This is the first block - I am not entirely happy with all the fabrics, but as I said, it is a challenge to use what I already have (and due to some unforeseen work in my house, I can't get at everything right now !)

 So here it is pinned and ready to go - the blocks are large and the applique pieces simple, so it's a perfect relaxing project for the evening.

Up next are the three blocks I have finished of the Flower Garden quilt.  The next two are pinned - the second one is not entirely cut out yet, so the flower looks bulky, but you get the idea.

Playing with our fabrics old and new yesterday brought up the topic of recent changes in fabric quality.  Since we had boxes of our stash fabrics in front of us, together with new pieces just purchased, we could really see how the quality has changed recently.  Our older fabrics are smooth, sturdy and do not distort;  our new fabrics are thinner and stretchier.  Bearing in mind that fabric has also increased in price, we don't like to see that the fabric is poorer quality as well.  I hope that this subject has been brought up to the manufacturers, because I have heard other stitchers complain of the same problem.  We are starting to wonder how our projects will hold up over time.  I have always only purchased "quilt shop quality" fabrics, believing that this will result in a better quilt for the time I am investing.  For now, I am shopping in my stash, until I see an improvement !