mrspete

Lordy, I swore I wouldn't buy anymore, but all I wanted was some tiny lace for a baby blanket. Now, you know the rest of the story! When it comes to a fabric store, I'm like a dog passing a tree.......I don't!

Blessings
Ruth

shaverg

It will be a forced boycott anyway if we can't afford the fabric. The LQS should refuse to pay the price for the fabric. The LQS have a huge markup. I know a lady in oregon who has a small shop and sales the same fabric we buy for 9 and 10+ a yard. She sells everything in her shop for $7 a yard. doesn't matter who makes it.

I will only look for good sales online or Sales at the LQS, I won't pay over 10 a yard, no way.

luv-e

You go butterflywing, Washington NEEDS to bring our businesses[sp?] back HOME!!! Think about our country for once. WE are in crisis more than anyone. OOPS !!! I vented tooooo much.

studio-christine

I bought some fabric yesterday

it was 30% off, so *only* $14 a metre

but some of our fabrics are $24 a metre

I can buy most of what I want on the interwebs for about half of these prices :(

Holice

Don't blame the "greedy" fabric manufacturers. It is my opinion that the mark up by the quilt shop is no more than most product mark ups. Wholesale prices on most fabric has been running around $4.50-$4.65 and with the usual 100% mark up brings it to the high $9.00 range. Check the fabric from those shops who offer it less than this and make sure it is current patterns. Flat folds can be purchased from most wholesale fabric companies for dollars less but may be prior seasons or end runs. To my knowledge there are perhaps two or three fabric printers (for quilting fabric) still in the US and they are able to print limited number of colors. Printing went overseas years ago. Some shops who offer drastic discounts buy surplus fabric of a manufacturers lines but rarely current lines. One printing company near where I live felt enormous impact when WallMart discontinued carrying fabric and as a result had to close their US printing facility. I know one fabric wholesaler who has a basement of bolts of fabric for $1.85-$3.00 a yd wholesale. But would the quilter buy it since it is all prior years designs. The prices at Pennsylvania quilt shops are always low, but are the fabrics current? It's going to take some creative shopping to weather the increase but we can. Just my ranting a bit about what is happening to our craft.

SherriB

If it is quality fabric and the price is great, I don't mind if it is last years fabrics. Most of my fabric sits in my stash for a year or more before I use it.

shaverg

I'm with you, I don't know this years from last years. I have bought fabric at the LQS that have 2005 and 2007 on the selvage. I just like the fabric or I don't

Janetlmt

My LQS has the top lines of fabric and they are all 9.99 a yard. I don't know how they stay in business. I can get the same thing in Lancaster PA for 6.50 a yard. What gives?

IrishNY

Honey, I know you said that you didn't want to go into the politics but would you please explain how Washington is impacting the cost of fabric? If we know the real reason instead of speculating, we may be able to formulate a response that is effective.

Chele

I think like everything, inflation and the economy affects the price of things. It's not necessarily Washington's fault, it just happens. I sure hate to see those local quilt shops go under. Makes me sad to hear that. I think the majority of those shops sell their wares at reasonable markup and they don't take advantage of their consumers. They deserve to make money and prosper. And keep us in affordable fabric! It's the greedy folks that ruin it for everyone. They inflate the value of everything and turn people off. We as consumers are not dumb. Those shops will die out because they don't know how to properly market their fabrics. No great loss, right? Good riddance.