DJRustic

After reading so many of your comments, I feel very fortunate to have a wonderful fabric shop almost in my back door. Over two yrs ago a lovely couple (86 & 85 yrs young) Mr. and Mrs. Porter started a fabric shop in Thayer Mo. They carry quite a large supply of name brand fabric for $3.99 & $4.99 a yd. Henry Glass, Studio One, Benatrex, JP on and on. I can go there and get lovely fabrics and he also carries alot of co-ordinates. A week ago he had Buggy Barn just cream with small design ( good background ) for $1.99. yd. His theory is he doesn't have to make a bundle on one piece of fabric. His profit is marginal but he is paying his bills. I applaud them one for being of their age and going into business ( he also had colon cancer this past yr) and for giving us quilters the opportunity to build our stash. If you ever make a trip to So. Mo you must visit them. Wonderful people and wonderful fabric. The name of their shop is Thayer Fabric , very original. As he says just say what it is. If any of you need info and want to make a trip, I can give you more info.

anniehug

Here in the UK prices vary greatly. We have a store 50 miles away who sell most of their fabric for around £5.00 per metre and also several good market stalls in various locations who sell for the same price. Our quilt stores are much more expensive ranging from £10 per metre to £20 per metre. I presume the cheaper fabrics are older designs but the quality is good. Purchasing by post can be very expensive here. By the way, love this board and all the very useful information and tips I have picked up. Anne

PenniF

Just one more little bit of food for thought.....where else in the world can you "buy" a one of a kind, made by hand piece of art that you can snuggle under with the one(s) you love. No two quilts can ever be EXACTLY the same - so you are giving something to someone that has no duplicate in the entire universe....something that most of us put a little bit of ourselves into each time. Maybe you spent 50 - 100 - 150 on the fabrics... what is "one of a kind in all the universe" worth??

bezzie2013

When i buy fabric i usually buy from JoAnn's and it has to be on sale before i buy anything i cant see paying so much for fabrics unless its a spiecal reason they always have a 40% of coupon on their web app and i get texted coupons also

Lizard

I have a couple quilt shops that price theirs around 12-14 bucks per yard, which I think is insane since I can't find the same fabric at another quilt shop for around ten. Then you go online and can get it much cheaper...I literally put fabric down today because I knew I could get it three bucks cheaper a yard somewhere else. I understand there are issues as far as production and such, but when you're so far out priced from your local competitors I, as a consumer, feel like I'm being gouged.

notmorecraft

Anniehug is lucky to live in an area in the UK where there is a great choice and cheaper options, I live in Scotland and fabric shops are charging £10.00 ($16.50) upwards, the lqs shops are more expensive and we don't really have markets. I'm coming to US in August and I'm planning on using my luggage allowance to stock up with quilting goodies.

Sandygirl

If you want to be able to shop brick & mortar shops stocked with the latest fabric collections, store samples. Classes,..... you pay more. Expenses are higher. Rent, utilities, salaries, location, upkeep, etc.

Sandy

Lizard

My problem is when I can take a two mile drive and find the exact same bolt of fabric for two to three bucks cheaper. I have two stores that have insane pricing compared to the other local competition. One of my lower cost stores even expanded recently and their prices stayed the same though we all expected them to go up. I know I pay more in a local store, and I'm ok with that since I save shipping, handling and I can have it right now. Plus being able to wander a fabric store is one of my favorite things. I just don't like the two stores who keep raising their prices thinking it's going to make us all want to shop there more.

acjacques

JoAnn's has recently announced they have a line of fabric made entirely in the US. The fabrics costs $8 - $12, but the choice of pattern is very limited. I usually go on eBay to look for fabrics that are pre-1990, since the fabrics are still most likely manufactured in the US.

TeresaA

If someone is selling fabric for $1.99, they are likely getting either second quality or deeply discounted fabric. I can tell you from my experience in fabric retail in the late nineties, quilt shops are likely paying at least $5.50 wholesale plus shipping for most of their quilt shop quality fabrics. On top of that cost, they have to pay employees, exorbitant taxes (you really get reamed as a small business), rent or mortgage on the store, the costs of items that they have to sell below cost because they aren't moving, liability insurance, etc.

I suspect the difference in fabric prices is due to differing rent? It's possible that some gouging is going on, but not as much as you think.

If anyone is seriously gouging, it's probably the wholesalers. Fabric printing processes could only have improved and gotten less expensive over time. Also, the fabric is ordered before it prints, so most of it is sold before a printing, meaning they don't have the cost of carrying signficant inventory. Wages have not kept up with inflation. Very little reason for prices to have gone up so much.

That said, I don't buy fabric anymore. I can't afford it. I'm hoping that what I have can get me through until I "retire" from quilting. And I think the only way to get prices down is to vote with our pocketbooks. Don't buy and the wholesalers will do something to fix the problem.