I will be shopping the garage sales more this year! Glad I built quite the stash this past year. I have enough fabric to last several years.

Whar is this going to do to the independent stores? That would be a worry!

We all need to remember that there are alot of "tools" out there in hardware/home improvement stores that cost just a fraction of what is charged in our fabric/quilt stores. Example - the "carpet rotary cutter.blade that was under $5 if memory serves me. Next time you need a "notion" just go to one of those home improvement stores and stroll the aisles looking how you could "repurpose" the tools there! Might be fun!

Having started quilting 17 mos. ago, i had no stash but have increased it slowly over that time. Because of the increased prices and I'm on a fixed income, I do shop at GW and all the other thrift shops. I buy 100% wool jackets, skirts, sweaters, !00% cotton dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, etc. I wash everything and cut them all up into the largest pieces I can get and store them for quilts and wool felting projects. I went to one junk store and found wool garments and 100% silk garments for as little as $.50 each! They were on the sale racks because no one wants the styles or tailored-type clothing anymore. I love to find the silks. Their colors are like jewels! I used silk material in my stump embroidery projects. Some garments hang in the thrift stores for months or get shifted to another store in a different part of town because they'er out-dated and people want up to-date clothes... I old now and up to-date doesn't matter a whole lot to me anymore! LOL

We are all going to have to tighten our belts when it comes to spending, buying fabric is out of the question for me right now unless I find a sale. I have gone to local thrift stores and purchased items to create other more useful things for people to use, when I use the materials from thrift stores to give more people comfort. My goal for 2011 is to use more of the fabrics from my stash, and to only purchase what I have to, hopefully by the time I use them the price of cotton will have gone down

i like to shop thift shops also but won't go to goodwill or salvation army they charge way ro much. i can get most of thier stuff cheaper new. i go to the DAV stores that support our disabled vets and prices are usually good. i also donate to them when i have anything to give.

We are starting to buy are food once a month and stay home and do what ever.I'm either sewing or on the computer.But i plan on going to a quilt expo 2 hours away the first of next month.Connie in CO

The GW here gets so much in that they run sales every day and when that doesn't work they use trash bags to bag clothing and sell it for $1.00 a bag. They simply can't handle the volume and there are always lots of customers in there every day. Our SA here donates clothes, food and shelter to anyone who needs it. So do a lot of the churches.

I want to know too.

BTW I heard on the news the other day, that the government in my state is trying find a way to start charging taxes for internet purchases. Can you believe it?