All Kona (Solid) is not created equal

16 years ago

I was originally on a quest for the 'perfect black' for the BOM-PP I am doing here. It had to be very black to match the sashing fabric I was going to use - which I did not use-BTW. I ended up paying $10.00 yard (maybe even closer to $12.00yard) for "Premium" Kona Black at the LQS.

I have since bought some Kona solid black at Joanns a few times - small amts.

I am now also working on a Stack-n-whack quilt for a nephew in a novelty skateboard fabric (very cool) from equilter - nice, expensive. I brought 5 yards of Kona Black at Joanns - on sale $2.00 off so it is $3.99 yard. While I am sewing on this Joann's Kona, mostly triangles & not prewashed, I am thinking it is definitely different then the Premium I am using for the PPing and I am handling it alot, so I can feel the difference and the Joann's is raveling like crazy. But, I am also thinking is the $10-12 three times nicer??? depends on the project. Even the selvages are different.

So today, I need to cut 22.5" WOF then 22.5" squares - & then subcut into triangles. After I decide how to do that accurately & I cut the strip- I can't get the 22.5" squares - I decide I made a mistake - no - I measure the width and the Joanns Kona -not prewashed is only 40" wide - fuzzy selvage to fuzzy selvage!!! So really 38" wide.

I made a template and cut the triangles out of the too short cut pcs, I was lucky. The book was written in 1997 , when cotton was still 44/45" wide.

So, the Kona at the LQS is nicer, is deeper in color, is more tightly woven

and is 44" wide after preshrinking, and the selvages are so perfect, I have to cut them off when I am paper piecing because it is so hard to tell them from the fabric.

The Joanns, cheaper Kona serves a purpose, but it is not the same, and this is how it can be sold for 1/3 the price. It also was made in a different country.

It killed me to pay so much for a solid black - but I am pleased I did.

That's my assessment of expensive Kona Solids vs what you get at Joann's ~ for what its worth.

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Comments (13)

new2quilting
16 years ago
I love Kona, and often use it for my hand embroidery. I only buy it from the quilt shops, because I did notice JoAnns was not the same quality, and when sewing it needles differently. You might want to check a few different shops, if you can. Although some quilt shops sell Kona at $10/yard, one of mine sells the same exact one for $6/yard. They only carry the basic white/snow/muslin/black, but I got them on sale at 30% off so paid just about $4/yard! Creation Station (http://www.thecreationstation.com) has a wide variety of colors and sells it for $6/yard as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creation Station Kona selection
magothyrivergirl
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the link Creation Station. They have a nice selection of colors.
Have you ever used the Marble Prints?
The interesting thing about the LQS, they don't carry many solid colors. They did have the black, and I think they have white, but it is really hard to find the solid colors.
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nanajayne
16 years ago
You may want to check out Hancock's of Paducah for Kona cotton. Good quality and only $4.98 a yard. I have never been disapointed with Hancocks fabric. Jayne
solstice98
16 years ago
I get mine from Hancock's of Paducah and love it.
I tried Joann's and won't buy that one again.

Kate
petalpatsy
16 years ago
Well that's crappy! Seems to me a different, second rate fabric shouldn't carry the same quality name! It seems to have made me angry....
damascusannie
16 years ago
Kona is the name of the manufacturer and yes, they do carry different lines of different quality cottons. The "Premium" is top of the line, hence the extra cost. JoAnn's is catering to a different market than the quilt shop--its customers come in looking for bargains, so they carry a lower quality Kona that they can sell at 1/2-1/3 the price of the Premium Kona.
ohiojudy
16 years ago
I discovered that you really have to watch Joann fabrics for the width of the fabric too. I was making a baby quilt and wanted to bring the backing around for binding figuring on a 45 or 44" width . Wrong, more of the fabric is 40 and 42" wide now. Guess it's like tuna fish and ice cream, smaller packaging to save money .... for them.
new2quilting
16 years ago
Magothyrivergirl I have tried the marble and love it! They come to one of our quilt shows once a year and I stock up. It makes great sashing and bindings, the colors seem to blend with everything. It has a nice weight to it as well, and they carry lots of colors.
barbara_l
16 years ago
How interesting with the comparison of the projects by different sources... learned a lesson from this topic!
Thanks for everyone's imput!!
magothyrivergirl
Original Author
16 years ago
new2quilting- thank you for recommending the marbles -I am going to order some!
Mary Wiggins
4 years ago
Here’s the response I received from Teresa Coates at Robert Kaufman Fabrics:
Kona Cotton Solids are sold at both independent fabric retailers and Joann Fabrics and Craft stores. We sell the exact same quality of product to both and while there has been lots of talk online about different quality standards, that isn’t true. Any inconsistencies are not from our end since we only produce one Kona cotton, but in 271 colors!
geezerfolks_SharonG_FL
4 years ago
Robert Kaufman needs to be printed on the fabric board as the brand.
bkay2000
4 years ago
Back in the days we were doing the lotto, I bought Kona black for a project and it was terrible. I bought it at JoAnn's. It was so terrible, I suggested we quit using Kona Black. I contacted Robert Kaufman. They said the same thing as above, "We only make one quality of Kona Fabric. We sell the same thing to Jo Ann's we sell to other dealers"

I ended up sending a sample to Robert Kaufman. They said it was not Kona and the distributor must have messed up. It was on a fabric board that said "Kona" and "Robert Kaufman.

bkay