I have bought a few yards at full price - usually for a swap and the fabric is a perfect fit. However, I will spend hours on line trying to find the cheapest price for a fabric that I can. I have seen the same fabric (such as fairy frost) differ in price over $5.00 a yard for the same color. I know it is the same quality fabric, so I don't get the price difference. There are on-line stores that I don't bother even shopping at because I know they are going to be too pricey. When I find a good deal, I bookmark the site and the next time I need fabric, I start there first.

Jo-Anns has gotten too expensive... unless their fabric is on a good sale. I am a teacher, so I get a 15% discount, which helps.

I refuse to buy fabric at Wal-Mart when the prices are over $6.00 a yard and the fabric feels like crap. I would make my daughter doll clothes and simple dresses with their fabric when it was more reasonable, but at the prices much of their fabric is at now, it is cheaper to buy ready-made dresses and doll clothes. Sewing is not a money-saver anymore!

Not shocking---- I have been reading about this since last September. We all just try to do the best we can.

Because of a crop failure in both major places, yes.

I am so glad I love scrap quilts and like to recycle. If you can wash a mans shirt week after week and it still looks good, that is good quilting fabric so far as I am concerned.

Ditto Southern Highlands:$21-$26 or $34-$75 inthe fancy shop...

Prices are up EVERYWHERE! How about the grocery store?! And I've been wearing the same old clothes for an eternity. The economy is killing us.........we just have to learn to be more resourceful. The more I look at my older fabrics in my stash, the prettier they become.

And yes, you quilters who are in Australia and other places that have very high prices, I sympathize with you, but we're coming right along behind you. It won't be too long before we will see the same prices.

Shortage of cotton. :-(

Yup...all fabric has increased...due to price of gas/oil...higher that goes higher everything goes...Have you gone to the food market...Milk, butter, bread and some other items better have a 50. And the Gov tells us there's no real increase in Cost of Living....RIGHT

I was just on vacation in Seattle and went to the Undercover Quilt Shop in the Pike's market area in downtown Seattle. Prices for most things in that area are quite a bit higher than I'm used to in Wisconsin. But not the quilt shop! Every beautiful fabric I pulled out to look at was $10/yd. There may have been some higher priced ones but I didn't see them. That is really a great shop! A little hard to find but my girlfriends helped me find it and I'm glad they did!

where have you been? This has been a major discussion on this board for a long time. Do a search and you will see the posts. It just seems that this has taken a long time to filter down in to the stores. We were all warned!

My favorite shop told me in early spring prices would go up in August due to rising cotton prices. (How do they know in advance?)

BECAUSE OF THE COTTON GROWING STATES THE DROUGHT IS TAKING A TOLE ON EVERYTHING THAT IS MADE OUT OF COTTON,I HEARD THIS ON THE NEWS HERE IN GOOD OL KY.

no!No!No!!!!!!!
Buy on-line.
quiltinaday.com
connectin threads.com
all have beautiful sales and fabric!
Even with postage, there a great bargan.

Buying Tip: When shopping for fabric, check to see if there is more than one bolt of the desired fabric...the old bolt will have a lower price than the new bolt of the same fabric. This first happened to me recently and the store gave me all I wanted at the lower price, even if additional yardage came from the new bolt. It is worth checking to save a few $$.

Oh my - !! I just did a conversion - $75 Australian is almost $80 US!! I hope it is beautiful fabric for that price.. lol.

I had the same shock as you did. I went to buy some backing fabric for a quilt top and saw the prices and decided to piece the back with leftover fabric. Good thing I have a large stash.
I know we should support our local quilt stores, but at those prices I am not sure I can.

The closest LQS to me start at 9.99 on the sale fabric, up to $12.99. The owner has started to buy flat folds from Marshall's Dry Goods to have $6 per yard so she can pay her bills.

Some of the most beautiful quilts you see were made in the depression era. People used whatever was available for quilts----feed sacks, old clothes, etc. One of the most beautiful rugs I have ever seen was made out of twine that was used to tie tobacco. We came from a generation of inventive people, so I'm sure we'll survive this and come up with some awesome quilts.

I was thinking the same as you. I'm sure my grandmom and mom didnt go out to buy new fabrics for a quilt top, backings were muslin.

Oh!! yes, I don't buy like I use to
I have started buying at Joanns, but it just not the same

Suebee it right - Mulqueens sells there fabric at $6.95 a yard. I spoke with the owner and he said he is not raising his prices, but that sale prices may be 55 cents more than they have been in the past. There are a few bolts that are more expensive, but over a thousand bolts at $6.95. Next time you are in AZ, go to Mulqueen's on Main St. in Mesa.

Think I will be shopping from my stash for most things unless I need a specific piece of material to finish a quilt.

mltquilt

I noticed at Joann's last week that they may have two bolts of the same fabric on the shelf in the calico section, but the newer bolt is a dollar more than the old bolt. Watch out for that and buy up what you can at the better price.

I agree beautiful quilts can be made from scraps but using poor quality scraps is the same as buying poor quality fabric. I buy lots of cotton men's shirts and women's skirts at thrift stores for the fabric. I only buy the 2x or larger sizes, same cost as the S size but much more fabric. Seems there are more of the very larger size clothing now then I remember ever being.

I buy a lot from Connecting Threads,too, and have never gotten anything I didn't like or had to send back.

from hearing about the price of cotton going up a few mths back, I had plans for people I wanted to make quilts for, the colors they liked and now have fabric in plastic tubs waiting to be used, I may need a yard or so here and there, but, only solids. I bought more patterned then I needed I can't afford these high prices

All the droughts have lead to a cotton shortage especially from where else--China. :(

I live in Mesa, Arizona and all the specialty quilt shops are like that..I think the prices here are terrible and they're going up..I shop online and keep signing things to bring fabric back to Wal-mart..lol..!!

Main Street @ Val Vista because the other Mulqueen on Main..doesn't sell fabric..I forgot about Mulqueen..the thing I hate with them is that you have to buy a whole yard to get the lower price.. when they have a sale..I do like their fabric..maybe anyone on the board who is going to travel..let people know what State and people on here can give each other a heads up !!

Cotton crops are down 40%. Gas prices are up $$$$=higher prices:-(

Our Joann's is getting out of hand too. Some of there batiks were up to $19.00 to $24.00 a yard the last time I was there. Don't understand how they think people around this area can afford to buy it at that price. We are a low income area. Connecting threads has a really good clearance price on batiks right now.

Our Joann's is 75% craft now and have raised their prices (Arizona)

Know what you mean. In New Zeland it is $25 - $30 per meter at the quilt shops. I'm sure you will find a way to fill your hearts desire. I buy fat quarters here and there and take time to build up my fabric for making a quilt.

just check out the fabric at WallyWorld. It's have went up too...so I imagine so have the quilt shops. FAbric like everything else has gone up so much in the last few months. Just look at the grocery store next time you are there!!

Hancock Fabrics had one old and one new bolt of the same pattern fabric but allowed me to purchase at the lower price.

yes and JoAnn's are getting more expensive fabric also

my local Joann's raised the prices on all their old bolts when the new started coming in at higher price and I've found that I have watchnto make sure I get my end of bolt discount because sometimes it rings at regular price.

Cut them up, my foot! I'm looking for them to wear. froggyintexs

What kind of fabrics were they? I know some batiks are reaching that level.

One of the quilt shops that I receive a newsletter from just had this as their lead item: "Why is the cost of fabric increasing?
(Check out the 'Blog of the Week' in our catalog to read the complete articles.)

If you are wondering what is behind the recent increase in the retail prices of your quilting cottons, here is a brief explanation to help you understand the situation.

Cotton is a commodity and like all commodities prices are increasing. Most of the increases are attributable to the weakening dollar. As confidence in the dollar erodes, commodities prices rise. Additionally, we are also wrestling with a worldwide cotton shortage. Historically, when cotton prices rise dramatically, mills could blend their way to a cheaper product. The quilting culture simply does not support a blended product, not to mention the fact that polyester (a petroleum derivative) prices are also rising.

As if this weren't enough, the industry is also dealing with other issues. Most greige goods (fabric before it is printed) are imported. As the cost of these goods increase, the import duty on these goods also increases. In the past, our farmers would increase their cotton planting and benefit from the increase. In recent years, our government has paid our farmers to plant corn instead of cotton. China and India have experienced massive losses of their cotton crops due to poor weather and heavy rains. This combination is forcing the costs of raw materials to rise dramatically. To add to the burden UPS shipping costs increased 4.9 percent in January 2011!

Most of us have reduced our profit margins by not passing each increase to our customers, as we are trying to minimize the shock to the retail market. In spite of this, the unfortunate end result is that the prices have gone up more than 10% on both a wholesale and retail level and retailers and consumers are upset. "

The article they're referencing actually came out several months ago.

All fabric took almost a fifty percent jump in early spring. I was told it is due to the price of cotton doubling in price...Better stock up it is bound to get worse....