Owls vs. Butterflies

I would like to share some observations I've made recently in the area of fabric quality. I do not consider myself a fabric snob or textile expert but I am starting to see the value in spending a little more to get something that will last.

I made the two bibs pictured below around the same time. The butterfly fabric was purchased from Walmart and the owl fabric is from Tall Mouse ("Timeless Treasures Fabrics, Inc., Pattern # APPLE-C 5707). They have been used and washed approximately the same amount of times. This is definitely not a formal science experiment, since I have no way of knowing at this point exactly how many times either bib has been washed or whether they have received the exact same treatment over the last few months, but I am able to just look at them and see a dramatic difference in the way they are showing wear.


Here's a closer look...


Here's what kind of blew my mind. This is how the fabric compares before any washing or wearing. The bibs above were cut from these very pieces of fabric...


Yikes! What happened to those lovely butterflies?

Here's just the owls- new on the left, worn on the right...


There are some hints of wear but really this fabric looks to be standing up pretty well.

Now just the butterflies. Same deal- new on the left, worn on the right...


Poor tired butterflies.

Just for fun I did the same kind of comparisons with the fabrics I used for the backsides of the bibs. The green swirls fabric (Timeless Treasures Fabrics, Inc., Pattern # APPLE-C 5710) is from the same line as the owl fabric...


Still pretty nice and green.

This fabric is from Jo-Ann Fabrics...


Not too much visible wear here either.

The Walmart fabric obviously does not maintain it's look as well as the more expensive Tall Mouse fabric but I did remember that the fabric I used for my Composition Book Cover was also from Walmart so I dug out the original fabric and did another comparison. The original fabric is on the left and the Comp Book Cover is on the right.


Huh, this fabric has held up okay and, if memory serves me correctly, this project preceded the bibs by a couple months and it's been carried around in various backpacks, purses, and carry-on luggage. The difference? The comp-book cover has not been washed "a million" times (I did wash the whole piece of fabric once before I did anything with it but the original piece and what is now the cover have both been washed the same amount of times so the comparison is still valid- and this isn't a strict scientific analysis anyway, remember?)

So, I guess my conclusion, based only on what I've seen happen before my eyes, is if you are going to be using the fabric for something that will require frequent washing (such as a baby bib) and you want that bib to stay looking "nice," you should probably spend a few extra bucks and spring for the nice fabric (or use a coupon and spend the same on the nice fabric as you would on the "cheapy" stuff). On the other hand, if you're making something that will never know the inside of a washer or dryer (such as a composition book cover), use whatever fabric strikes your fancy.  Go ahead, I dare you.