If prices go up 25-50 cents a year, then it is not the price of cotton alone. It may be cost of manufacturing or they may be using "price of cotton" as an excuse to raise prices whatever they want.

I'm embarrassed to say I have so much fabric I don't think I can use it all in my lifetime. Trouble is I know I'll buy more.

Don't feel bad, I also have a ton of fabric, lol. I started my stash long before I started doing any actual quilting. I have also been taking advantage of recent sales, just in case ;-)

You're right, it's not just the cost of cotton. There are a couple of other major factors. One is the price of fuel. The other is the fact that the Chinese, who manufacture almost all of the greige goods (the base, unbleached, unprinted fabric stocks) have been artificially holding down the prices on those for years while they cornered the market and forced everyone else out. Now that they indeed have the market pretty much to themselves, they are raising the prices on these goods dramatically and continuously. Apparently, the people who work in their mills are no longer willing to work at slave labor rates. :mrgreen:

Aside from all the practical reasons prices are on the rise, it's still sticker shock. I was online checking out a new site earlier and one of the lines was priced at $15 a yard. A floral print, nothing special.

I know overseas and our neighbors to the North pay far more than we do but I'm still spoiled by $7/yd and under prices at my LQS when I was at the height of my buying bliss.

Now I just get charms mostly and keep to small cuts on the occasions that I have money to spare for fabs. Thankfully I've got a nice bit to choose from that I'm not sweating the "crisis" as such for now. But I sure miss the carefree spending on what caught my eye.

I visited a fabric shop in western NC on Fri. pad 4.99 for batiks, other fabric was 3.99, 4.99 and 5.99 for flat fold per yard. Bolt fabric was 4.99 to 7.99 per yard. Some of the fabric was same as I saw in LOS for 9.50 per yard.
What is wrong with shops? Why to they not have better prices. I realize they need profit, but give us a break sometimes.
Can't remember name of shop.

I meant, that the makers are (mostly) raising the new collections 10 - 15 cents above the cost of the groups that they released three months ago. And those, of course, were 10 - 15 cents more than the ones three months before that.

I would say we've seen increases across the board of about 50 cents / yard this year, and we haven't reached the end of the year yet.

Now, when hubby says "You have too much inventory!" I just tell him it is all an investment, and where else can I earn a 10% return on my money this year?

.... Apparently, the people who work in their mills are no longer willing to work at slave labor rates. :mrgreen:[/quote]

I read recently the Chinese go into a provence and build a mill, work the people for slave labor rates. When it becomes a problem and the employees want more money. they just close that mill and build another in another provence and the process starts again. I'm sure after THAT word gets around, people stop complaining about anything and just work.

Check out Connecting Threads; the clearence or sale section. There is some cotton there for 2.99 yd. I got an email yesterday on this.

Makes me wonder if base cotton prices are rising so drastically, will the
buyer of our finished quilts be willing to pay accordingly if we raise prices?
From past experience, seems doubtful.