Quality vs. Price: Teaching Fabric Value to Customers

The moment a customer walks into your shop, they’re looking for that unmistakable feeling — the cool, crisp hand of premium cotton. But outside your doors, the market is full of cheap, flimsy deals — online fabric that costs $6 a yard and feels like paper.

So, how do you bridge that gap? You don’t just sell fabric — you give your customers the confidence that they’re choosing an investment, not just a bargain. You’re guaranteeing those hours of work will be protected with high-quality materials.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to educate your customers about the value of your fabric.

Let’s talk about how to start that conversation and make them fall in love with quality all over again.

Teach Customers How To Spot Quality Fabric

For any skilled quilter, the difference between $6 and $15 cotton starts with structural integrity.

Teach your customers to pay attention to the following fabric elements:

• Hand: Start with the simplest thing — just have customers feel your quality fabric. Soft, smooth textures come from using longer, high-grade fibers. Cheaper fabric can feel rough because it’s full of heavy starch that washes out later, leaving it limp.
• Drape: If you hold up a yard, notice how it hangs — it’s most likely fluid and maintains its structure. That $6 fabric? It often sags, stretches unevenly, and ends up looking lifeless in a finished project.

• Thread count and weave quality: A high thread count means the fabric has a tight, dense weave. Why does that matter? That stability prevents shifting and fraying on a cutting mat or under a sewing machine needle. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep piecing accurate.

• Colorfastness: If a customer spends 40 hours on a quilt, they shouldn’t have to worry about it bleeding in the wash. High-quality fabrics use professional dyes that are chemically bonded to the fiber, so the color stays vibrant for years. Cheap dyes just sit on the surface, and that’s when significant color bleeding occurs.
• Shrinkage: Quality fabrics are often preshrunk or stabilized during manufacturing. Minor shrinkage is normal, but with high-quality cotton, it’s minimal and predictable. Low-quality cotton, on the other hand, can shrink excessively and unevenly — sometimes up to 10–15% — during the first wash, warping the final product.
• Performance and longevity: Quality fabric guarantees the finished item is structurally sound. Seams lie flat, the quilt stays square, and the fabric is reliable throughout the entire construction process. Thanks to a stable weave and superior colorfastness, the project retains its beauty and integrity through repeated washing and wear, making the time investment worthwhile.

Now that your customers have an idea of what to look for, here's how you can confidently explain the higher cost.

Related Read: Retail Vendor Management: 7 Helpful Tips for Quilt Shops

Why Quality Fabric Costs More — and Why It’s Worth It

The key to selling premium fabric is reframing the purchase — not as an upfront cost, but as a long-term investment in quality.

Time is the true cost when it comes to the type of fabric customers buy. This is why it’s important to shift the focus from the price per yard to the customer’s time and skill. 

When a customer is deciding between cheap materials online and your high-quality fabrics, you might say: “When you invest 40 or more hours in creating a quilt, the cost of fabric — even $15 per yard — is an investment in protecting your labor. With our fabrics, you’ll create a project that lasts a lifetime.”

When customers understand this concept, it’s easy to show them why high-quality fabric is worth the cost. 

Customer Talking Points That Help You Close the Sale

Here are three ways to teach customers the difference between quality levels without causing sticker shock:

1. Cost vs. longevity: The cheaper fabric saves them money today, but your $15 fabric saves them money over the next decade. The loose weave on low-quality cotton is prone to pilling and breaking down after just a few washes. They’re ultimately buying structural integrity and color life.
2. Ease of use: Think about their sewing machine. Low-quality fabric shifts, stretches, and frays, making precise piecing frustrating. High-thread-count cotton is stable, cuts cleanly, and holds its shape perfectly under the needle. This means they’re investing in frustration-free sewing.
3. The heirloom factor: If their project is meant to be an heirloom or a gift, customers want the color to last. Quality fabric uses premium dyes that are bonded to the fiber. The $6 fabric will look visibly faded in two years, but their quilt will retain its vibrancy for decades. You’re guaranteeing them that beauty lasts.

Now that you’re prepared with this information, what else can you do to make it easier?

Related Read: 12 Essential Cross-Selling and Upselling Strategies for Fabric Shops

Lead the Value Conversation With Like Sew

Help your customers make smart choices by teaching them the value of quality fabric. You’ve invested in premium materials to improve your customers’ sewing experience, so take it a step further and use a tool that helps you connect with them, too. 

Like Sew offers powerful features to support your store, stock quality fabric, make sales, and maintain a competitive edge.

Here’s how our all-in-one software can help:

• Customer tracking and history: Like Sew’s customer relationship management (CRM) lets you monitor the long-term satisfaction of your customers with their fabric choices. You can see which fabrics individual customers buy most and gather valuable feedback from them on how well these materials perform over time. 
• Purchase history: The platform provides a detailed record of each customer’s buying patterns. This information is invaluable for identifying customers who are ready for an education on quality. You can tailor your approach to offer personalized recommendations that match their interests and skill levels. 
• Follow-up capabilities: Automated follow-up emails can provide tips on fabric care, project inspiration, or reminders about upcoming classes and events. These messages help customers stay motivated and confident, leading to more successful projects. 
• Vendor integrations: Like Sew simplifies the process of adding quality fabric to your inventory through seamless vendor integrations. These tools let you access and import product details — including descriptions, pricing, and availability — directly from your suppliers. 

Try our Build and Price tool to create a custom quote tailored to your store’s needs.