France is worse - in a quilt shop here, quality fabrics are between 24-26 Euros - about $31 to $34 currently. Most online prices around 18 Euros.
All other supplies - IF you can find them - are proportionately as expensive.
We tend to buy from UK online.

Tonight is the first meeting of a group of women at work who've asked me to teach them quilting or, as I say, teach them the little bit I do know. :) Their timing was rather good because the last few weeks there have been tremendous sales at Joann's.

I put together a basic list of supplies (mat, ruler, rotary cutter, notions, some fat quarters, etc.) and, using 40% as the discount, it came out to about $125 which turned into a bit less than that due to the 50% sales going on. If you can get the more expensive basic items on sale, it's not too bad getting started. I figure that what they bought will give them some idea if they'll like this hobby (how can't they like it?!) and, if they don't like it, most of it can be used for something else (e.g., rotary cutter to cut wallpaper).

Hope it goes well tonight! They all went out and bought new machines (not included in the $125 quoted above) so I'm determined to live up to their expectations. Should be fun! I'll let you know.

Good Luck and have fun!!!

PRAYING that it's just a "scare tactic"....Things may change in November when the elections occur. I believe many scare mongers are saying prices are going up because they're anticipating paying more taxes for the health plan. Ironically, the manager of our local grocery store said the price of food will go up immediatly....he had it from the horses mouth. Well......the plan passed and his ad today has milk at the all time cheapest we've seen in 5 yrs!!!!!!!!!!

That's good news to me. It helps me to rationalize shopping even more intensively for more fabric. I gotta' get it before it's too expensive.

You've got the word now---shop until you drop!

Have fun ... I wish I could join you :D

Am not surprised!!!! The groceries are getting rediculous and gas is back up there.
I remember in school (a long time ago lol) talking about predictions that someday American would be the land of the "rich"....as only they would survive; and it is definitely headed in that direction. So sad!!

OH NO :shock:
Well...we quilters have always been a very "creative" group...we will always find ways to economize so we can continue to make quilts, and reycyle as previously mentioned :wink: :D:D:D

I guess I should do some substantial buying this year.

I do a reality check every so often when I'm tempted to buy an new quilting product. All I use 99% of the time is a straight stitch machine, a rotary cutter, a ruler, needles, thimble, and a pair of scissors to make a quilt. The rest is just gravy. As long as I have ample supply of my basics that is the most important.