I was in Arizona for ten days and just had to go to a fabric shop. I found a quilt store not so far from me and went in. The shop was lovely with beautiful quilts on display, machines to try, patterns and books...and all the things to get you to buy their fabric. So I had to look at some fabric which had caught my eye and to my surprise...it was $12.95 per yard. OMG...when did the prices go up...I thought fabric at quilt stops go for around $9.95!! I was in shock!! Are all quilt shops sooo expensive? :cry: :cry: :cry:

lol..lucky you don't live in Australia..try about $22 - $25 a metre...or more

Yep, prices have steadly gone up since Spring. Around here,Victor, NY, fabric averages 11.00 a yard. And a lot of the NEW stuff is 12.59 and 12.95 !!! UGH

DITTO here to in Western Australia

We have fabric in our Joanns for 12.59 per yd.

Yikes can't afford to go unless sales!!

WHY?!?!?!?! Why are they doing this to us?!?!?!?! I've noticed prices spiking and fewer and fewer good sales! WHY?!?!?!?

Okay, the screaming demon is out now....

You can pay anything from $22 to $30 here in New Zealand, sale prices here are usually around $12-$18.

wow, that is expensive

These prices encourage a person to NOT want to de-stash.

Hi Carol - some of the fabrics in our LQS's are more expensive, just kinda depends. I wished you would have had time to go to a Mulqueens store. They have some priced that high but mostly their fabric is 5.95 yd or 6.95??dont quote me on that :) I only buy the good stuff if its for someone special. Everything is so expensive anymore.

Cotton shortage is part and gas prices the rest. I'm just glad that I buy from the discontinued racks....

I just found some at Hobby Lobby for $10.99...my days of buying fabric are so over...even the online sales are bad...$6.00 yd is NOT a sale..especially when it is fabric that they were selling for $3.95 just a few months back!

nope..time to actually USE my stash....

My LQS's highest price is $7.99/yd. It's amazing as to what some prices are.

and they wonder why handmade items are becoming something of the past. I wonder how high fabric is going to hit before I begin scouring thrift/consignment stores for nice outfits in good cotton to cut up for quilts--LOL

Yes, it is the economy. We were warned to "buy underwear and cotton socks for under the Christmas tree" last year because the price of cotton was going to be one of the first things to sky rocket in this economic mess that is going on now. CUT, CAP, AND BALANCE or it will get worse.

I live in Oregon -- prices are around $10.50 to $11.50. I was in Philadelphia in May - Prices were $6.50 to $7.50......the area the store is located in DOES make a difference!!!

Barrell prices do affect fabric prices to an extent, in addition to other factors (we were warned... http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/09/news...ices/index.htm ). Alsok the manufacturing process includes many chemical and petrochemical treatments and finishes. Unless you buy organic cotton, but who can afford that either?

Yep and in Victoria, Australia as well some are dearer than that..and have you tried to buy perle crotchet cotton in balls..I use it for stitcheries I get it from America half the price even with postage added on.

fabric like everything else is out of sight

In a LQS here, I fell for a beautiful pc of Kona Bay fabric. I looked at the price and it was $14.95 a yard. That puppy went back on the shelf so fast I got dizzy! LOL It was gorgeous but not that much! Yes, here JoAnn's does carry some fabric for $12.95 a yard. I shop sales on the net now or in my stash. I hate to think how high in price it may go for. But..... everything else is going up also, so there ya go. I am very fortunate that my DH has let me buy what I want for years, so I do have some stash to last for a long long time.

Prices have gone up here in Northern California too. Our JoAnn's is no exception, cotton fabric at $9.99 yd. I see lots more fabric from China too.

It depends where you go though? I go to the sales and was getting as low as $5 a metre. And the other day spotlight had a 40% off sale and I got this beautiful fabric for $12 a meter - it is just stunning... usually I would never spend that much :D

that really sad, that would break the bank.

Not much difference here in the UK either, average around £12 a metre. I have noted a FQ is now around £3.95 each too...def not cheap!!

Prices here are 9.96-10.95 a yard. I have been buying more and more fat qtrs when they are on sale for 1.00 - thankfully we live in a no tax state

LG That's how I started out in 1973. Who knew?

LOL - been up there for at least a year in my area! Thank God I have twenty years of wall insulation....er....stash!

I agree with that $18 to $30 per metre. To get things from America online are most often much cheaper than purchasing them here, sometimes even when they,re Aussie made!!!!

Most of our fabric is now made in China. My friend is a sales rep. and she was saying the quality is no way near what US use to make. Also, they include the salvage in the width measurement and some salvage is more than 1/2". Now I buy a little more then required by the pattern to cover this.

Fabric- yes it keeps going up.
I'm done buying (I think)

I hear you with these ever increasing high prices. I myself have {2} local quilt shops that have back rooms of 50% off some of their fabrics, older and discontinued, I guess, but really nice stuff. So for $5.00 or less a yard, I build up my stash a little at a time. My JoAnn's batiks are $12.95 & up and to me, that's crazy! But when JoAnn's has 50% off their "red tag" sales, I can get a little of this and that {whatever is left on the bolt} of nice quilting fabric for $2.50 a yard. These days, we have to be creative to say the least!

I was in Fabricland (a regular fabric store not a quilting store) yesterday and saw quilting cotton for $17/meter. I was shocked! Of course, that specific table was 'buy one get two free' but even so, just too expensive for my wallet. Thank goodness that part of my quilting enjoyment is finding the fabric at the best price--and that often means ordering from the US.

and Victoria and Tasmania

I went to a LQS on vacation, too and found the prices over $10.95 a yard. I was shocked because it was an area with lower prices. I'm glad I have a large stash.

After reading this thread I just did a quick search for fabric price differences between the US and Australia. And I found an American website selling MODA fabrics for 1.99 a half yard. YOu would never in a million years get it that cheap in oz.

yes i have notice the prices going up...at least in one of my lqs, they are only marking up the new bolts to $11 a yd, they are leaving the rest at the original prices of $8 - $10 yd.....not all places are doing that, some are marking ALL the fabric to $11+.....it is sooooooo sad!!

sad to say but I think they will continue to go up there is a big shortage of cooton and Texas lost most of their crop this year because of drought and even polyester prices will sky rocket as it is an oil by product and as gas goes up so does everything else utilities and everything else is also up for the shop owner

That's why I love buying fabric (and kits) from Connecting Threads. Their prices are very reasonable and I like their fabric... I know there are lots of different opinions on this Board about the quality of CT, but I haven't gotten a bad fabric yet from them. Plus the shipping is free if you spend over $50 (and who doesn't?!).