Yes, fabric is one of those things like gasoline that keeps going up and up. There are a lot of on line sources for good fabric at slightly lower prices. Your profile doesn't say where you live but if you are in the U.S. most will have a reduced shipping rate for a larger order. Favorite Fabrics, Connecting Threads, EQuilter, etc. have sites and if you Google on line quilt/fabric shops, there are many others. Fabric from your local quilt shop is usually higher quality than Joann's or Walmart but not always. If a local shop is where you are taking the class then they sometimes require you to purchase their fabric. I'm sure some of the others on QB will tell you some of their favourite spots to get good quality, reasonable fabrics.