There are many ways to lower the price of fabric. Personally, I don't want to spend hours and days making a quilt and use cheap fabric. If I really like the fabric, I will buy it. I don't see using cheap fabric for donation quilts. They take the same amount of time and effort and need to last. I only wash my quilts every 3--6 months. They should last a long, long time. I order a lot of fabric from sites that have it priced lower, but I don't believe that quilt shops double or triple the prices. Sorry. Most LQS have a very small profit margin and the fabric is much better quality than the discount stores. I do shop at JA or WalMart for notions sometimes, but not very often for fabric. JMHO, and I don't want to offend anyone.
Sue