Originally Posted by litacats

the lqs in bunbury seams to charge $22.00 for everything.

Originally Posted by WilliP

Ahh, yes, the lovely tarriffs I would assume are adding to your prices in Australia. I'm not sure what the current exchange rates are but it does seem steep. Of course I'm becoming familiar with some of your quilting and needlework magazines ---there in is my budget downfall! I really am disliking all publications that you have to wait and buy the next issue --sometimes two months later-- in order to have the whole pattern and directions! Love the applique work I've seen recently.

Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics

Just today I was looking at some of the new ones coming out by Robert Kaufman - they're Patrick Lose designs - and they're going to cost, on the wholesale level, about 75 cents more per yard than other companies' basic blenders.

Do you think the price difference is warranted? Are there certain basics and blenders that you think are worth paying more for? Which ones? How much more?

Originally Posted by Linda B

This isn't something I've really given much thought to, but it does seem that blenders, solids, and near solids should cost a little less. I would think they would be cheaper to produce due to less design time, ink changes -- whatever. A dollar - a dollar and a half less than more patterned fabric seems reasonable to me.

Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics

The beauty of any fabric, of course, likes in how it looks in the finished quilt.

And there have been many discussions on the differences in quality between quilt-shop fabrics and chain-store fabrics.

But, of the quilt-shop fabrics, when you're talking "basics" or blenders... fabrics that you probably bought because they were just the right color... are there certain lines that you think are worth more?

Let me explain where I'm going with this. Pretty much every fabric company has a line of basics/blenders. And some companies give you a little bit of a quantity discount, and some don't. All the prices have been inching up (well, ok, more than inching in some cases!). Just today I was looking at some of the new ones coming out by Robert Kaufman - they're Patrick Lose designs - and they're going to cost, on the wholesale level, about 75 cents more per yard than other companies' basic blenders.

Do you think the price difference is warranted? Are there certain basics and blenders that you think are worth paying more for? Which ones? How much more?

Originally Posted by ckcowl

so i guess it really comes down to knowing your regular customers...especially about designer fab's like the patrick lose, those fabrics have very identifiable characteristics (like Kaffe Fasset fabrics) some like them and some do not. those who love them will buy them, those who don't find them to be (all-that) will not. so knowing your customer base is important. do your regular return customers like the types of subject matter/ fabrics lines from patrick lose? if they do, they will pay the increase. if they are more into traditional over novelty they probably will not. it is all relative/ and very regional. some designers do very well in some areas and do not do well in others. some areas can handle increases, some can not. personally...i buy what i need/sparks me...i do look at the price; if i think it is too high or i think i can find it else where for less and i do not need it right away i wait and look else where but if i need it today, i buy it, and if it is unique, haven't seen it elsewhere i buy it. price matters but everything goes up, nothing we can do about it. i used to complain about having to pay a whole dollar for fabric, when i was in 4-H a hundred years ago...now i pay $10 for the same fabrics...