Don't blame the "greedy" fabric manufacturers. It is my opinion that the mark up by the quilt shop is no more than most product mark ups. Wholesale prices on most fabric has been running around $4.50-$4.65 and with the usual 100% mark up brings it to the high $9.00 range. Check the fabric from those shops who offer it less than this and make sure it is current patterns. Flat folds can be purchased from most wholesale fabric companies for dollars less but may be prior seasons or end runs. To my knowledge there are perhaps two or three fabric printers (for quilting fabric) still in the US and they are able to print limited number of colors. Printing went overseas years ago. Some shops who offer drastic discounts buy surplus fabric of a manufacturers lines but rarely current lines. One printing company near where I live felt enormous impact when WallMart discontinued carrying fabric and as a result had to close their US printing facility. I know one fabric wholesaler who has a basement of bolts of fabric for $1.85-$3.00 a yd wholesale. But would the quilter buy it since it is all prior years designs. The prices at Pennsylvania quilt shops are always low, but are the fabrics current? It's going to take some creative shopping to weather the increase but we can. Just my ranting a bit about what is happening to our craft.