Not all minky is quality minky fabric. There is a great deal of variation in minky fabric. Some fabrics are thin and stretchy, while others are thick and luxurious.
Differences in fabric
If you take two pieces of minky fabric, made by two different companies, you may find that they are very different. Cheaper, low quality minky tends to be much thinner and stretchier than the better quality brands. It is harder to work with, and in some cases, even has an almost shiny feel to it. The pile is not as thick and luxurious. Over all it is just not as nice as better fabric. Unfortunately, the price isn’t always the best indicator of the quality of the fabric. I have seen low quality fabric sold at just as high a price as the better quality stuff.
Does quality minky fabric matter?
Does it really matter how good the qulity of the minky fabric is? The thinner and more stretchy the fabric, the harder that it is to work with. The thin, stretchy fabric doesn’t hold its shape well and is difficult to sew well. If you are looking to applique or embroider onto the fabric, then you may find that it is very difficult to do and get a nice finish. Of course the other problem is that the finish that you get is not likely to be as good. It may also not wear well and look old and have damaged pile sooner.
Minkylicious minky
At Minkylicious we like to ensure that we have good quality products. Our minky is on the whole, either from the Shannon fabrics range, or our own brand. Shannon fabrics is the market leader in minky fabric. It is thick and luxurious. Made in Korea, it is recognised worldwide as the best quality minky fabric. Our own brand minky is slightly thinner and more stretchy than Shannon. It is still nice and thick and easy to work with, without having too much stretch. Our own brand fabric is slightly cheaper than Shannon, but you can still be sure that you are getting a good quality product.
In addition to this we also stock a range of tie-dye minky fabrics that are produced by lil-bumaz and wickedly woven. A couple of the colours of these fabrics are thinner and have a different stretch than our best quality fabric. On the whole though, they are still all lovely to work with and better than lots of other minky on the market.
Check out our full range of minky here.
