I have an exchange with a person from Canada, what things related to quilting are hard to find/very expensive up there? I'm in the states and would love to get them something they can't get themselves.

I have read on this board that fabric is very expensive and most online sites from the USA won't ship to them!

Fabric in Canada is definately more expensive. Almost all fabric unless it is in the sale bin ($7-$9) regularly sells for $13.99 - $17.99 at my LQS. Fabric stores are also few and far between and a need for sewing supplies means at least an hour road trip for me. You can get almost any quilt related tools here but you will have to head to your LQS as most FabricLands (think Joannes)are going out of business and Walmarts no longer carry fabric. I regularly head to a Mennonite area about an hours drive from me that has several small home shops to buy quilting stuff and fabric there is a little cheaper ($5-$12) but they don't carry the most current lines or the more "modern stuff". Your quilting buddy in Canada I'm sure would be thrilled with any of the newest fabric line or tool because this all takes longer to be released here.

I would say fabric too. I have seen so many of the ladies saying its more expensive there! Plus, who can have too much fabric, lol?

I'm in Eastern Canada. I find it difficult to get special rulers,starch,template plastic, freezer paper, even color catchers. I know these are available in some parts of Canada but not in my local area. I think fabric would be appreciated. A basic price for good fabric is $14/$15 meter. Walmart has closed out fabric departments and there are very few LQSs.

I'm in PEI and I haven't yet found a store with a Color Catcher. And yes, most things are hard to find and pricey. My LQS has a rack of older (some REALLY old) fabric for $5.98 per metre and quilters come from as far as 100 miles away to buy it.
I'm sure anything quilty will be greatly appreciated!

Twilliebee, you live in a beautiful part of the world! I was fortunate enough to be able to visit PEI twice. I did run across one quilt shop in O'Leary, but never got to the eastern part of the island. Are there many more quilt/fabric shops there?

Hi Nan,
You visited my LQS! I'm another 20 miles west of O'Leary towards Tignish. I don't get to the eastern end of the Island often, but other than O'Leary there are only a couple of shops that I know of that try to cater to quilters.
Unfortunately at the moment they are both in a state of flux management wise and seem to be dreadfully overpriced.
There is also a Fabricville which I think would be like a Joann's.
I think my biggest problem is that I'm such a fabric hog and I want a variety of everything. That makes we want to travel further afield to hunt down the fun stuff LOL.
I'm glad you liked it here. If you come again, we'll plan a visit!

I'd like to visit PEI again as well. When I was 9 we visited Green Gables and I purchased one of the 'Anne' books there. You live on a beautiful island!

Thanks, Mom-6! I think I might be willing to trade winters with you though LOL!

I'm sure we went through Tignish last time... isn't that on the way to all the windmills?

O'Leary was a nice town. We visited the potato museum while there.

We stayed at Pioneer Farm both times, a wonderful off-grid little homestead with a cabin for rent, which we'd found online. It was so very special a place... but unfortunately with the economy being very tough, and most tourists turning to the east after crossing the bridge to the Island, they were not able to make a go of it and now the property is for sale. I would call it Totally Wonderful (except for the mosquitos). It's south of O'Leary, right on the water, and there's even a sandbar offshore (which does provide an escape from the bugs). In case anyone is interested in buying the place (with all that water frontage it would be a good investment I suppose) here's a link to their website. http://www.pioneerfarm.ca Jim and Judy are wonderful people and I just wish that they could have had a happy ending; they certainly deserved it.

I guess they really liked us, too, as we're #1 on their testimonials page. As it turned out, though, we were their final guests.
:cry:

Hi, I live in Sherbrooke, Québec. We used to have tons of fabric stores and now we only have 2. WM is only keeping precut fabric. A new boutique has open in a fabric store and it is specialized in quilting, but the fabric runs from 12.99 per meter (39 in). It is quite expensive, so, when I can, I cross the boarder to Newport, RI and buy my stuff there. My husband and I are planning a trip to PEI next summer. We're going to stay 10 days.

Yes Fabric in Canada is expensive compared to the US, as well as quilt batting I think.

I also was wondering about shipping. Can you use the flat rate priority boxes or envelopes to mail stuff to Canada? or what is the best, cheapest way to ship?

I agree fabric , rotary blades, specialty rulers are very expensive here. Add to that that somethings will not are cannot be sent to Canada by places like Joann's etc I want t scream ever times someone on the board complains that fat quarters at $1.50 are "expensive". Here they are up to $4 each!
Another problem is postage,. We may find a deal in the USA but the postage is more than the cost of the item!

Forgot to mention I do get some lovely fat quarters from HI . She sends them in a brown envelope , use to call them Manila envelopes, She fans them so they are flat , for between $6 to $7 . Many on ebay etc have a blanket rate using boxes that are much more expensive, sadly I just don't bu from the seller on there that charge a blanket $11. 95 to Canada.

That is so odd, must be the store charging extra, I have sent a few things to quilters in Canada and was surprised by how inexpensive the postage was. However, postage to Ireland was way more expensive than to Canada and took way longer to get there.

I buy a lot from the States as the costs here are unreal. Most of the things I get are in the flat rate envelopes and boxes but lately a few people have used first class and the postage seems to be less. Not yet sure of the delivery speed but one person told me that delivery times are the same for first class and priority. Never send anything by UPS as they charge a lot in brokerage fees and always send by USPS.