I like eQuilter, Missouri Star, Quilt Fabric Closeouts, Quilters' Paradise in Baldwin City, KS; Lil Red Hen in Paola, KS (both those LQS have customers from across the nation so don't write them off just because they are locals); and for batiks--my fav is Fabric Fanatics--all the carry is batik and you can find scads of them in the sale category--all big name suppliers.

I haven't bought from this shop yet but plan on it once we get moved. She has fabric on sale for $2.00 a yard!
http://www.needllove.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1919

I realize quilting is an expensive hobby but so is golf, sailing, drinking etc. :D

Yup! I had a coworker teasing me about how many vintage sewing machines I have, so I asked him how many vehicles he has. I know he has at least 3 or 4 vintage cars, a boat, a pair of jet skis, and a motorcycle. That shut him up pretty quickly! It's easy to think someone else's toys are "too expensive", or that someone else's passion is silly.

Well ladies don,t come up to Ontario Canada . The fabric here in North Bay starts at $19.00 Batik is $22.00 and up.
Went into the store the other day and the ladies at the store where asking me how come i,m never in .I just cant afford it. Have been ordering on line from down there even with the exchange i,m still way ahead,
Thread here for 800 yards is $8.99 plus tax.
Tom

Quilting cotton in our LQS range between $18 - $36/meter. I really do try to buy fabric locally but I can only afford to do that if it's on sale. I do a lot of on-line shopping at US quilting stores. Even with the dollar exchange & shipping it is less expensive. A few times I asked the managers of LQS why the prices are so high in Canada & the answer was freight & dollar exchange. I went to purchase minky & insulbrite at a chain fabric store (we only have 2 that have stores across Canada) and the minky was $36/meter, the insulbrite was $24/meter. Needless to say I came home & ordered from Joann's. It's a little inconvenient because they don't ship to Canada anymore but I have a friend in AZ who will mail it to me. Joann's delivers to her or she picks up in the store.

Tom, I love Canada- but I won't go quilt shop hunting. Ouch!! :D

I love touching fabric at LQS, fabric shops when traveling, estate sales, CL sales, guild sales and thrift stores. Dropped by Habit for Humanity Restore today to check on a desired item(and Tues. is 20% off) and at the end of the glassware section there were 3 large baskets with fabric in it. Cranston, Michael Miller, Northcott were just a few brands- nothing more than $2. Fortunately, I just restocked some supplies so none of today's bargains came home with me. If there had been more juvenile fabrics, I would have sprung for them as I belong to a group making charity quilts for kids.

I am in Tasmania, Australia. Lots of the LQSs here closed down. The one left in town (other than a sewing machine distributor with some fabric) charges about $26/metre. This shop usually has a container of FQs for 3 for $20 and I often shop from them. Otherwise FQs are about $6.50 each. I shop thrift shops and garage sales too, especially for cotton sheets I use for foundations for string blocks. It is worth talking to the management of the local thrift shop if you never find fabric - the one here the workers used to toss scraps because they thought no one would want them. I love to sew scrappy quilts, mostly for charity, and am happy every time I find some scraps to add variety.

Sorry, that should be 7 for $20 - 3 for $20 would hardly be a bargain here.