Unfortunately, there are 4 of those where I live. Plus JoAnns, Hancocks, 2 WalMarts with fabric, Beverlys and Michaels with fabric. A lot of competition. Sometimes online is easier to think about than running to each of them and checking out fabric and prices. I support each of the 4 LQSs but when it is cheaper online for the same thing, I order online.

WHile I do agree buying online hurts the LQS, then first off, they need to lower their prices. If I can get the same fabric for less, and I am not talking about cents less but dollars less, then I am going to buy online. I live in the big city though, so the LQS's are not small by any means, and honestly I really think they could lower their prices a tad. However, with the poor cotton crops this year we may see a rise in prices all across the board.

Just wondering. Do you better prices than the local fabric stores?

WOW!!!! We have one quilt shop in town and it is getting less and less in. I have to drive 45 minutes away to get to one and an hour for the next one. You are lucky!!!!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I, too, buy almost everything online. I like the fact that I can linger on a website as long as I want and go back and forth, so far I've never been disappointed. I found one lady in Washington State who runs her business with her husband's help; she has the most amazing collection of panels and OOP with great prices and terrific customer service.

Betty, there are some wonderful places online, I tend to skip around from place to place, care to share the name of the spot you have been so happy with ?

Me too, I've had totally positive experiences. I was surprised to see that I've been ordering from Amazon since 1998! I've been ordering from EBay for years.

I shop at my local quilt stores too, but the convenience of on line shopping is really great. ..and the fabric tends to be less expensive because the on line shops don't have huge overhead if they don't have a physical shop too.

So back to convenience. I like to create my own quilt pattern using EQ and then I shop around on line for just the right colors etc. This I can do even if I'm up at my usual 4 am with nothing to read. Can't really do much cleaning without waking up the household at that hour. :?

I have to order on line. No local quilt shops. Walmart put them out of business even if you had to drive an hour one way. No complaints. Walmart did have some nice fabric. Since Walmart condensed it's fabric to one aisle there is not much to choose from, so I purchase online. I have gotten great fabric and just what I ordered from those I ordered from. I have made several purchases from Fabric.com...Just love them, great customer service, fast delivery. Another that has both regular fabric as well as great price on quilt backs is AAA quilters

having lived overseas or out in the Alaska bush for most of my life, catalogs, and then internet shipping has been a "normal" way of life for me!

I buy most of what you really need online now...I am not a MALL person and we live 2 hours away from a big city to do any REAL shopping, so I do it online!

ALL of my fabric is bought online, unless I go to a quilt show..there is NO LQS withing 30 miles, and the one there is, I do not care to patronize!

I even love drugstore.com!

I love buying online the fabric I can't find locally. With gas so high I don't drive all over the place like I use to. Use to drive to Salem, Dallas, McMinnville, Corvallis and Philomath looking for just the right fabric. I love Jannilou's in Philomath but I don't go but a couple of times a year and I usually have 3 or 4 friends with me :lol: :lol: :lol: