susie-susie-susie

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

Onebyone

I go to Mashall's a lot. The bolts in the back are all brand new lines, Jenny Beyer, RJR, Timeless Treasures, Robert Kauffman, South Seas, Kona, every fabric manufacturer but Moda. They have the less quality fabric lines too. Panels, cheater cloth, licensed prints, and muslin. There is a table set up in the back with samples sent from fabric manufactures showing the new lines. I would love to have these samples but they go to shop owners. There are older lines and reproduction fabric lines. Marshall's is now having their own fabric line printed. I like some of it some not so much. Marshall's have more then the one warehouse and you can see the fabric come in on huge rolls and then see how they wrap the fabric on bolts in the warehouse. If you go to the very back to the left warehouse there are hundreds of bolts that have just been wrapped. To the right and left of that is the fabric reps offices. You have to get one of the reps to write your ticket if you are buying the bolt. Being a non shop owner, I've never paid more then $3.98 a yard per bolt for the best fabric. The last bolt I bought was RJR's Jinny Beyer's color pallet in red. One of the reps told me shop owners want the newer lines not the old lines. The older lines are up front to be cut by the yard or single flat folds.

Snooze2978

You'll find batiks cost more and so far I haven't found that price at my fabric stores but I'm sure its coming to our small towns here. You might check out fabrics online as I know Connecting Threads have batiks at around $7-8/yd. These prices are the reason why scraps do not get tossed out till they're too small to pick up. I'm on a pension so I limit myself on how much I can buy a month. Sometimes its so tempting to just throw caution to the wind but that just gets me into hot water with my credit card. I'm already bogged down for the next 3 months before I can buy more fabric cause I threw caution to the wind.

lfletcher

That does seem high to me.

sval

Are you ladies talking about Marshall's Clothing Store?
Wasn't aware they sell fabric.

KalamaQuilts

30 yards is a lot of fabric, are you sure of your needs? It doesn't take much fabric to make the plates, so at most probably 12-13 yards for back and background?

Fabric, like every other 'ooo, shiny' thing is another way life sorts out the rich from the not rich I'm rich because I have a stash built piece by piece over 30 years. It is small in comparison to what I see here, but still more than I can use. So like you, I can in no way justify buying more fabric, regardless of price or want.

slbram17

I have seen the higher prices at Joanns too, but I think most of the shoppers there use a coupon (like 50 percent off) on the fabric purchases.

sprice

I agree we have to draw the line somewhere! I started sewing years ago to save money. That certainly has all changed around now. How the heck do they sell clothing so cheap these days? Even if the poor sewers make almost nothing, all that stuff still needs to be shipped half way around the world to us. It's crazy! I do enjoy using old shirts for charity quilts. They do turn out comfy and appropriate for boys, too. Helps me avoid the tendency to make pink bunny quilts!

slbram17

I have to admit that I did pay around $12 or so a yard at a local quilt shop, but only because I love the Charley Harper line of fabrics. And I really don't see too much else that would compare to the designs.
http://www.fabricworm.com/chhaforbifao8.html

But that was back in January and haven't nor do I plan to, purchased anything near that price range.

I bought it for planned pillowcases to be given as gifts for a dear friend bird lover.

elnan

If you are talking about Marshall Dry Goods in Batesville, AR, when reading from their website, I got the understanding that they contract and produce much of what they offer. I'm not talking about the name brands they offer like Timeless Treasures, etc. If I only lived close to them.....