Rhaorth

Hello everyone,
I am new to quilting and sewing in general. I have been watching different sites such as etsy for scraps and fat quarters, yardage, etc (and I am learning the terminology hehe).

I never know what is a good price for fabric... so... does anyone have any general guidelines for fabric cost... especially when purchasing fat quarters and charms... or even jelly rolls, basically any precuts... what is a general good base price to look at?

Thanks
Edie

Holice

Calculate the yardage in the precuts and then compare with the price of fabric by the yard. You will discover there is a "cut" charge built in.
Fabric in quilt shops is now selling for $10-$12 per yd
So probably any price less than this is a good price.
However, check the quality if much less.
There are shops that sell for less and quality is good

I posted a request for suggestions for reasonably priced fabric. Search for that posting.

Many shops still have fabric at around 7-8$ per yd.

Rhaorth

thank you so much.(I tried searching the forums, these forums are huge... takes forever to find anything) :(

The calculating the cost per yard is what I have been doing... so I am on the right track.

And now you have given me some numbers to work with for comparison. thank you :)

Glassquilt

Prices vary somewhat by region or in my case by suburb. Question is do I want to drive for over an hour past 5 or 6 other stores to save? I'd probably lose the savings in gasoline.
Check your stores.

CruisingStef

My WalMart has fabric priced low..... $3.00 a yd. Watch it!
Always hold end of fabric on bolt up to light, if you can see through it....pass it by. The higher end.... priced at $5.98 and up is usually better quality, I have found that it holds up just as good as your LQS fabric.

Rhaorth

I agree I would end up paying more in gas, to drive to a bargin.

I am mainly looking for a general idea of cost, for determining if I am paying too much for something off of say... etsy, artfire, etc.

Thanks for the tip about holding it up to the light... I would not have thought of that

QKO

MSRP on top-quality quilting fabric that's now coming in to the shops is 12.95/yd and even higher in many cases. Large dealers don't always carry the top lines -- in many cases the top lines are reserved for quilt shops only and aren't sold to big online dealers or chains. Some small online stores do sell for less on first-run, top-quality fabrics.

Some shops will average prices in their shops, marking up the older fabrics in order to keep the prices down on the newer, higher priced fabrics. Others will put a more honest price on the newer fabrics and leave the older ones at the old prices.

Mid-quality and low-quality fabrics can be purchased for less. Some popular lines have been reducing quality due to the very high prices they now have to pay for, and the shortage of certain types of base stocks.

Since fabric prices are going up so dramatically, a lot of shops are closing, unable to compete with large online outlets like Amazon.com (who owns fabric.com) who are willing to use predatory pricing to drive competition out of business. These businesses also have huge advantages in shipping product due to their ability to get very favorable pricing from UPS and other shippers.

Thus you will find a lot of store closing sales out there, or other sales because of critical cash-flow situations in smaller shops and smaller online stores. So a lot of bargains are to be had out there.

Re: precut fabrics -- generally the smaller the cut, the more per-yard you'll pay.

The main thing, as a new quilter you should learn all you can about fabric quality. Generally, when you pay low prices, you'll get low quality, and vice-versa, but this isn't always true. You can find bargains and sales on very good-quality fabric if you look around and shop sales. The fabric you're getting might be one or a few years older, but if it's top-quality, it'll still be top-quality when it's marked down.

Learn the difference between the good stuff and the junk, and that way you won't put a lot of time and effort into making projects you'll be unhappy with after they're completed. I'm a firm believer in the theory that if you're going to put a lot of your own sweat and labor into a project, why use fabric that won't stand the test of time?

Go to good quilt shops, ask questions, and feel and touch the fabric. Talk to the store owner, they're usually the most knowledgeable. (Part-time clerks don't always make a study of the fabrics the way owners often do.) After you learn what makes a good-quality fabric, and you're going to buy, if you buy online ask for samples first if you're not sure.

And finally, welcome to the wonderful world of fabrics. Once you get hooked, look out! :-)

Quiltlady330

Certainly not 100% of the time, but most of the time you get what you pay for. In our area it's $10 per yd now for good quality quilting fabric...and then fq prices are according to that.

luvspaper

I try not to pay full price if it is fabric to add to my stash...so for that I look for sales/clearance at less than $6. it helps to do the fabshophop because I often check the sales/clearance at the shops.

If it is for a specific quilt, I try to stick less than $10 a yard and try to bring in some stash.

But a lot will depend on your access to shops/sales and coupons.

Sandee

Try looking at these on line stores for prices:
Connecting Threads
Marshall's Dry Goods
Handcock Fabrics
Missouri Star quilt Co.
and there are plenty more online.

I have seen fabric at some of these stores that is also at Wallmart.