Yes prices are going up. We just have to shop around ansd find the best deals.

It will be getting harder to find good buys.

I have to say, it is funny you can go buy a cotton dress for less than 2 yards of fabric.

Does anyone remember Woolworth's? The one in downtown San Diego closed in early 1980, they put all their fabric on sale for $.25 a yard. I only bought one piece and a box of 4.5 in blocks for $1.00. There was enough in the box to make a king size comforter and I still have a LOT left. It was sad to see it close, but we still had TG&Y, they did have a better quilting department. It was sad when they closed too about 8 years later.

I was into Joann this morning. They had the whole line of Heidi Grace in the browns in the red tag fabrics. I purchased a lot of coordinating fabrics for 4.00 per yard.

Sometimes I hit a nice sale like this and with my VIP card got another 10% off.

Jean

It is so very sad, the American woman have always made quilts from how many years ago. it was a way of surviving. Now days many make quilts for enjoyment, and yes some still for survival. You go to the Goodwill to buy denim or shirts and now even there, prices are going up. So sad now when so many are out of work prices are being driven sky high. Maybe someday the prices will come back down :)

Did anyone notice the recent price increases at JoAnne's? Noticed them marking fabric one day so the next time I wen in I checked where they had been working and they had raised the prices if flannel by $2.00 per yard on all their already in stock bolts. They also raised alot of their novelty and calico by the same $2.00 per yard.

My LQS has done the same thing and she hasn't even gotten in any "new" fabrics. I didn't buy from her when they were $8 a yard and I sure am not going to buy from her now. Wholesale fabric does not cost near what is being charged and I find price gouging to be very distasteful. I won't shop there anymore.

On average, most retail establishments (quilting or other) charge a retail price of double the wholesale price. I highly doubt she is price gouging. I'm sure her overhead (what the difference between wholesale and retail goes to) has gone up. It's also possible that she has eaten some prior wholesale price increases and is now at the point where she can't absorb that increase any more.

The price increase is due to a bad cotton crop. This is expected to continue at least another year. When the demand exceeds the supply, the prices go up. It's not gouging, the price is increasing to the stores so they have to pass that along in order to keep their doors open. But they do NOT have to mark up old stock. That is baloney. I would boycott a shop that did that, and let them know why.

I've gotten a lot of lovely, real suede fabrics at yard sales and flea markets. They are usually skirts and jackets, and sometimes a few of the mens' jackets are absolutely lovely, butter soft and very washable. I put them in crazy quilts and they wash much better than cottons. No way I could or would pay what the new price is.