No matter what we pay here we're still better off than our quilting brothers and sisters in so many other countries. I have a few machines with dust on them but not the four that I use. I also have a few king size tops and backings and one full that I have well over $200 in and they aren't quilted yet. I have others that I have almost no actual money invested in.
If we'd thought about it beforehand and broken down the cost none of us would probably thought we'd be able to afford our children but we did it and we managed.
I don't make quilts to profit from them, I make them because I love to. I think the higher cost will just make us become more inventive and creative in our chosen art form. I'll still support the fabric stores as much as I can because I'd hate to see them close but I probably won't go on buying-binges. Okay, with the exception of Fat Tuesday when Threads of Time has all their fat quarters for $1.50 each. That's just too good to pass up. Besides, I think they give a prize to the person that buys the most---I came in 2nd last year.