The quality of fabric, just like everything else, is going down and the prices are going up. A lady I met at JoAnns was mentioned that last years' low cotton yield due to weather is not helping the prices. It is simple really, some companies will sacrifice quality for lower manufacturing cost because it means higher earnings. Also, we are not helping the issue either. Quilting has become quite a business. In the early days, quilts were made with whatever fabric was already around. Since we became highly specialised we got specialised prices. Here is an example from pool industry that can paint the picture better: a type of ice melt (calcium something) is really cheap in the winter, come summer it is repackaged and sold as a pool water hardener at more than 10 times higher price. It is not a secret, but people still buy it at $45 a bag (including me) until my husband pointed out my mistake. Smack a "quilting" label on a fabric and voila - we have a specialty item.