I’m working on a small quilt made of solid fabrics — no prints. I don’t mind mixing prints and solids, but this one is intended to have an old-fashioned Amish feel. Some of the fabrics were purchased at JoAnn’s, and some were from local quilt shops.
JoAnn’s sells solids under two or three different labels. One label (brand) is Kona Cotton Solids. The question comes up regularly about the maker of JoAnn’s Kona solids. If you buy something called “Kona” at the quilt shop, it also will show the maker as Robert Kaufman. JoAnn’s doesn’t say that.
Who makes JoAnn’s Kona solids? Are they made by Robert Kaufman or some other manufacturer? Are they Robert Kaufman second-quality goods?
This morning in the Stashbusters Yahoo site (group forum), someone posted a link to Bonnie Hunter’s Quiltville blog. Bonnie and Robert Kaufman answered this question definitively. I encourage you to read the whole answer provided by Robert Kaufman. However, I’ll summarize here:
- Robert Kaufman makes ALL Kona Cotton Solids, regardless of retailer.
- ALL Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton fabrics distributed are first quality. Seconds are destroyed.
- If you find fabric labeled as Kona Cotton Solids that appears to be of lower quality, the company would like you to mail them a sample.
Where should you buy your Kona Cotton Solids? Many of us like to patronize our local quilt shops, ensuring their success to keep them in our communities. Many of us like the coupons and sales offered by JoAnn Fabrics. Hobby Lobby also has carried Kona solids, but I don’t shop there anymore. So as with most of the rest of my fabric purchases, I will continue to buy at JoAnn’s and make sure I support my local shops, as well.
Catbird Quilt Studio 
Kona solids are wonderful and as much as I love tone on tone fabric in quilts, the solids seem to brighten up a quilt in a way other designs can’t. Their colors are so deep and vivid – love working with solids. I too favor our local quilt stores as they are “individuals” trying to provide quality fabric in their shops for us quilters. BTW..like the quilt above -cool colors.
Thanks. That quilt is in process now. I found late this afternoon I had mis-cut all the little teal patches in the puss-in-the-corners. Well, not all of them, but I need to examine and see what I have now… Tomorrow is another day!
I’m all about solids so the research you report is very helpful. And “amen” to your stand about Hobby Lobby!
Good to hear. Thanks so much for understanding.
Dear Melanie,
that looks like a lovely quilt you are working on. I love the colors and imagine the Amish touch will work nicely. That was very interesting about the Kona Cotton Solids. I don’t use solids in my quilts but when I see the Amish and Welsh quilts I am tempted. One day when I get my hands on some maybe! Thanks for sharing!
Jodie
I’ve been using solids more and more over the last few years. For me that’s a shift from tone-on-tone patterns, so not a dramatic difference generally. I’ve come to think of the solid as one more pattern choice. Just like plaids or florals, solids don’t work everywhere. But for some styles, they do work quite well.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
OK, clueless here as to why Hobby Lobby is being boycotted. Would you enlighten me, please? Love your quilt – I love using solids! I can get solids at my LQS for $6-$7 a yard and that makes my bank account happy!
Yes, that’s a good price, and I would always choose that if available. My favorite LQS doesn’t have a lot of solids. Other shops are a little farther afield, and I don’t get to them as often.
Hobby Lobby as a corporation sued the federal government for the right to not provide women’s health care under the company’s health insurance plan. The reason was because the company claims that women’s health care is against the company’s religion. Last I knew, companies don’t have religious beliefs. Unfortunately the Supreme Court sided with the company. Even though the ruling was a “limited” ruling, a few days later on a different suit the Court expanded the religious rights of companies even more. The ruling was made without regard to the accepted science on contraception. In essence, religious beliefs OF COMPANIES trumps science and women’s rights to access to healthcare. Men, on the other hand, still can have their Viagra paid for by HL’s health insurance plan.
While I know not everyone will agree with me on this issue, it is one I have very strong concerns about. Contraceptives today. What happens when a COMPANY decides it is against its religious beliefs to cover blood transfusions, or diabetes care, or… any issue, whether or not it is related to health care at all? What if the company objects to basic safety or pollution regulations for “religious” reasons? Who gets to make the law? Each company or each person for themselves?
Off my soapbox now…
Thanks for the info re: Kona solids. A few weeks ago I was dismayed to find that my local JoAnn’s wanted $9/yard for Kona solids. Yeah, use the coupons, I know. But sometimes you just don’t have one with you. As for Hobby Lobby, one of the reasons I don’t shop there is that the items they carry offend my aesthetic sense. The decorative glass items are truly ugly.
🙂 Yes, there is a lot of ugly there. But I am more offended in other ways.
WOW $9 a yard for solids. That hardly makes sense. I’ve been buying/using more solids over the last couple of years. That pricing is hard to swallow.
I am never opposed to a good price, using a coupon, or shopping at a chain store. If the fabric is good quality, I know how to recognize it and will buy it. Thanks for this info. And your quilt above looks great in solids! Bravo!
I agree. I’ve heard for my whole quilting life that I “shouldn’t” buy from chain stores because the quality is poor. Well, sometimes it is poor. But my hand can feel that. I guess that’s part of why I so much prefer shopping for fabric in person than online. I want to feel it.
Thanks for the compliments on the little quilt design. I already made it in one color set. The Amish is #2, and my intention is to make a third, also!! It’s for a class I’ll teach starting in TWO MONTHS. eeek!
Thank you for doing the research on JoAnn’s Kona cotton. Good information. Ditto on no longer shopping at Hobby lobby.
Thanks, Sue. I didn’t actually do the research, just passed it on. The information is what I’d understood, but it was good to have it confirmed by the company.
thanks for the informative post! And I don’t shop at Hobby Lobby either, probably for the same reason.
Thank you. 🙂