Hearing what you folks in Oz and Canada have to pay...all of a sudden my $12.99 a yard local prices don't seem so bad!

I have had a lot of luck getting bargains at the LQSes I visit as I travel. I always ask if there is anything on sale. Recently, in Maine, I got a Marcus fabric from a bin which they had put three year lengths for just $12. At $4/yard, that's my buying price! Many shops sell bolt ends (one shop had them up to 5 yards!) for a fraction of regular prices.

Earlier this month, I purchased 15 yards (!) of a Schumacher curtain fabric that is the perfect weight for quilting at a thrift shop on Long Island for $15. Just yesterday, I bought 18 yards of a similar fabric for $10 at a thrift shop in Maryland.

I cannot claim that any of these experiences is common -- it is just a rare set of lucky breaks. But I think it shows there are bargains on quality fabrics our there -- you just have to dig, dig, dig.