trust me, this is only a portion of the room(s)....and in here there are no less 18 queen size quilts in bins ready to sew!

I give up..I am done....no more buying, which I did while I was working 3-4 jobs the last 5 years...now I am unemployed, closing my online shop and going back to MAKING things....

Good luck, enjoy and share some pictures.

:)

Got a newsletter from a LQS in Arizona last night and the price of cotton going up is addressed. I will copy and paste for it is very interesting. If we here in the U.S. would stop outsourcing (as in cotton mills) we could maybe get somewhere. Here goes.....

COTTON PRICES INCREASE

There has been a drastic increase in the price of cotton as most of you will notice when you purchase fabric. The largest grower of cotton is China, second is India followed by the United States. The price is determined by supply and demand.

The price of cotton has gone up from 62 cents per pound to $1.65 per pound. China and India are not exporting cotton anymore and the world's need for cotton has grown. When a shortage occurs, the price will go up (Fab Shop News Dec. 2010). Another problem is the people speculating in cotton. When that happens and supply does not equal demand the price will go up because the speculators want to drive that price up regardless of what those of us who sell and buy the produce can afford. Another issue is that eighty percent of the cotton produced in the United States is exported as we no longer have the mills here as we did years ago to produce the finished goods.

As with the price of gasoline we as shopowner's do not know when this increase will level off and price increases will end.

As I understand it there are no longer any mills in the United States anymore......last one closing in Dec 2010. So naturally the cost is going to go up...up.....up.

:(


Marilyn

As I understand it there are no longer any mills in the United States anymore......last one closing in Dec 2010. So naturally the cost is going to go up...up.....up.

:(


Marilyn

We "once" had one here in central TX, Mission Valley Cotton Mill in New Braunfels. I have relatives who worked there, as did one uncle when he was just a young soldier home from WWII. I had many a school dresses that my mother made for me from fabric that came from there due to her brother working there. Not exactly sure what year they closed but I have an aunt in her mid 90's that retired from this mill.

In the meantime, the building which covered 5 lots is being developed into a complex of businesses and renamed "Rivermill Texas. "
http://www.rivermilltexas.com/index.html

One local shop here where I live is online, but they do not ship fabric, etc.

Where do you pick up your fabric?
Robin in TX

I live in Vermont and the prices have gone up here, but not $12 yard! YIKES. They were always around $8-$8.50 and now are running between $9.50-$10.15/yard.

This is really sad as I know how much I love fabric, but there has got to come a point when you have to just say NO!

On a happy note, I have always felt extremely guilty for the stash that I own (I can't tell you how much I have, but let's say I could probably have paid a years worth of college for one of our daughters with it). Now I sit and smile at my stash (lots was purchased back in 2005 for $5/yard for the 'good stuff' - this is when I started quilting). This is my fabric fund that I can look at with pleasure now and not guilt, as I was such a wise shopper to get it at all those amazing old prices and hoarding it was clever too.

So, now I have a reason to use my stash. Most of the new stuff really looks like the old stuff anyways. I designer can only come out with so many lines until they all just start looking identical to me.

Just my .02

Suzanne

Better use the 40% off coupon that is in the ad

Makes those with huge stashes glad they spent all that money when they did, no need to buy now. I will continue to buy fabrics to finish projects, but only when it is on sale

Ridiculous prices at most LQS with limited choices. That's why I shop online most of the time. I surf until I find the best price on the fabric I want. I do also check out my LQS (there are a few in the area) for any sales or coupons they may be offering as well as their back rooms for the sales and closeouts. I have found that if you are a good shopper you can even find very nice fabric at Walmart (please don't start that "my WM doesn't carry fabric anymore" conversation), Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby. I love high quality fabric and I won't buy garbage but I can't afford to pay $11-12/yd. and, on principle alone, even if I could I wouldn't, not when I can find it for so much less with very little effort. I am in the process of making a small quilt for my granddaughter and am following a pattern using a certain collection by RJR. I can pay full price ($10.50/yd)at a certain LQS and pay about $160 for the fabric (including backing). Shopping online I found the exact same fabric for just under $100 including shipping (still quite a bit for a baby quilt but this one is special). I can't blame the LQS owners for wanting to make ends meet but in this economy and in this day and age it just makes sense for them to have an online presence to increase sales volume and to keep prices within reason. They shouldn't complain about fewer customers if they overcharge because they don't want to get with the times. My favorite LQS actually started out as an online business and just recently opened a shop. They carry gorgeous fabric lines from all of the major manufacturers and charge much less per yard than other LQS in the area. They also have a much larger inventory so there are more choices for the customers. They have very good sales too and wonderful customer service...the whole package. I shop there both online and at the store, whichever is more convenient for me. They're already in the process of doubling their store size because they have been so successful in just a year's time. Smart people :)

I would like to address the sale and clearance prices on our fabrics. When you see these fabrics on the clearance table and are marked down considerably just remember this.....they are probably selling those fabrics at BELOW their own cost. And when you see the 20% or so discounts they are probably selling their fabrics AT COST. That means NO PROFIT. They are counting on you coming in for those discounted items and being impulsive and buying other regularly priced items. They used to call these "loss leaders". Not sure if that term is still used but I know this practice is quite common.

My brother worked at Kmart and he told me they would have a huge sale on a camera that was well below Kmart's cost just to get you in the door. Of course if it is like most kmarts you would have to get a rain check on it! :lol: :lol:

LOSS leaders are still being used. Often manufacturers like MODA, will have a certain LOSER line they know will bring buyers into the shops, and then of course you can't find all of that line, so the shop has to steer you to OTHER lines to fill your gaps...amazing how those OTHER lines blends so well....hehehe

You are going to see the return of FLAT folds, RK goods, etc at places like Hancock fabrics and Joanns...I remember when Joanns bought out fabric world...those flat folds were our staples....but Joanns did away with them...I still have some of that GOOD cotton fabric..ehhehe

now a days you can buy them from Troy, and other "mercantile" named fabric warehouses...they are just the OLD lines that used to end up at Walmart, Alco, TG&Y, etc...not necessarily lesser quality, just ones that did not sell from the distributors warehouses, so they sold them out to the buyers for these stores.

I have long shopped online for fabric when it comes to making clothing for my girls, but as a newbie quilter I LOVE going into my LQS since they are so full of advice and can guide me so well when it comes to making decisions regarding fabrics.

Right now it is worth it for me to pay the higher price because of the wealth of knowledge that exists behind their doors!

F.Y.I. Someone metioned Hancock fabrics clearance sale- I was just there and they do have tables of fabric on clearance- some nice ones.$1,$2,$3,$5 and so on
Also discovered they beat Joanns on Schmetz needles.
We work with vintage sewing machines and go through needlesat a high rate so saving .50 a pack when not on a 50% off sale at Joanns is nice

I have been buying only what I need to finish projects. For pretty much a year now. I simply cannot afford to add to my stash any longer. And things I know I am not going to ever use I am selling to help cover other expenses.

No local quilt shops in my area..no fabric at Walmart either so I shop online. Fabric.com is having a sale right now...the Quilted B has wonderful customer service and something nice is always on sale. I also like The Old Country Store. Prices there run under $8.00 a yard.

Wow, I will stop buying this very minute! LOL

TThank you! Very helpful information.

Ouch ... for all of us...retailers and customers!

[quote=mzsooz]I would like to address the sale and clearance prices on our fabrics. When you see these fabrics on the clearance table and are marked down considerably just remember this.....they are probably selling those fabrics at BELOW their own cost. And when you see the 20% or so discounts they are probably selling their fabrics AT COST. That means NO PROFIT. They are counting on you coming in for those discounted items and being impulsive and buying other regularly priced items. They used to call these "loss leaders". Not sure if that term is still used but I know this practice is quite common.

Promos and sales have been around as long as man has been selling. The issue isn't the lure factor it's the mark up factor'the hook'. I have worked in different fields even in dental it is done. In the majority of cases stores have made a deal with the wholesaler for the promo item and have themselves been cut a big break so a sale of 20% off is not a serious loss to them. damaged goods can be returned to the mnufacturer unless the store owner has not negotiated that or is spineless. I don't feel sorry for the stores on their mark ups/markdowns. It is a well known practice to mark items up then cross out the price and make it appear as though they are sacrifically doing something for you that is a loss tothem financially. Granted a smaller store has less negotiating power then a large one or a chain, but none the less they still have control when it comes to buying goods. If you think they are taking a sacrificil loss think again- the higher prices make up for what they didn't get the fist time around. The mistake many smaller shops in our area have made is snobbery- believing if they are gracing everyone with their mere existance and people will automatically and unquestionably flock to their doors. We have a small business too and competing in th market with the big dogs isn't easy so we find our own nitch, provide complete customer and client care and take on the challenge of the big dogs when needed. With the economy the way it is it is fool hearty to assume you will have customers flocking to you- you have to compete. Frankly that's no a bad thing, when someone has a corner on market that's a problem.

I received a catalog from Connecting Threads just this week and they have fabric as low as $4.96 a yard.

Hey.....you are still very lucky.....like here in Australia for the imported US material which is 100% made in the US & which is pre-shrunk & pre-dyed....& its the fabrics by Moda, Thimbleberries, Kaufman, Andover & some others made in Texas....sit down now - & don't faint....top of the range & depending which store - $49.95 a yeard.......!!!! We pay for the shipping & the middle man...ie reps displaying etc & overheads of the store factoring the cost....plus wages of staff is all built into the price that we pay for those fabrics listed......& some are as high as $79.95 a yard!!!

And those named materials are the only ones I buy....but of course whenst I come to visit the relatives twice a year....then like blimey I do buy up big there.

Cheers..moggie (Australian lone quilter)

The owner of one of my LQS said to expect the cost increase to be between $6 - $8 yard over the next years time. I think my stash may get a bit smaller because at that cost I will be very paticular when purchasing.

Come on, quilters are smart people, we will find away to buy material. Put a small add in the paper, go to rummage sales and ask if any one knows of a person that is giving up quilting, like an older relative, neighbor thats moving, estate sales, and so on. Do not go to auctions, they go nuts over material. I make up little cards, with my phone number,and what I`m looking for, (cotton & washable) let them know up front what size box or bag you want and how much you are willing to pay. Then I go to rummage sales and asked if they know some one like that and if they do I leave a card. It can`t hurt.

She is so right----think about the pioneer quilters----bet they did not have a LQS and I know they did not have Walmart or JoAnnes!

:lol:

I think this article may give us a perspective going forward
it worth the reading time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/bu.../29cotton.html

Maybe we should all invest in cotton as a commodity instead of buying fabric with our dollars? Not quite the same thrill, I know.

I haven't been home in the past few months, we're back in Wa next month I might be shocked at the fabric prices, I know where IM at right now there is no fabric stores, Joann's nothing, Henderson Las Vegas will be the next place Im going too and they have several quilt stores, so we'll see, I do alot of shopping at Joann's but last time I was there alot of 8 to 9 a yd

I guess we forget how lucky we are here--when I go overseas I am always amazed at how much more some places are paying for gas, books, food, cloth, clothes, etc. But when we are used to "cheaper" prices for fabric, it is a shock to our system. I am using scraps now that I would have thrown away before. The higher prices here are certainly making me more thrifty--which is a good thing in the long run both for the environment and my pocketbook.

I live within 40 minutes of four WM stores and not one of them has fabric.. so tell me, writerwomen, where is your WM? It might be worth the gas for me to go there. Especially if I gather up a bunch of my quilting buddies to share the fuel costs.
Melody :mrgreen:

"when it comes to products being made from cotton...then house insulations...other textiles![/quote]jaciqltznok

You may be mistaken about modern insulation, at least in the U.S. Building insulation is made of #1=Fiberglass (this is the itchy horrible stuff you don't want to work with without a good mask), #2=Cellulose, which is a wood fiber like newspaper shredded...no cotton here. I am a licensed builder. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulose_insulation
"Cellulose is the oldest building insulation material. Many types of cellulosic materials have been used (in the past), including newspaper, cardboard, cotton, straw, sawdust, hemp and corncob. Modern cellulose insulation, made with recycled newspaper, using grinding and dust removing machines and adding a fire retardant, began in the 1950s and came into general use in the US during the 1970s."

I think the real reason the price is up is that the third world is becoming more prosperous & are now part of world demand for clothing, blankets & all things textile! As builders we noticed a sharp increase in concrete (poured-in-place), as well as lumber prices about 15 years ago, due to massive building in China...it has never gone down again. Same idea. If you plan to build something for yourself, better do it sooner than later; it will only get harder to afford.

All this makes my head spin...guess I better get to a LQS and find the sale section. That will cure what ails me. :-)

This is just so wonderful to read about. My grandma probably had this experience as well. Thank you for sharing this!

Yes, I am seeing DeJa Vu in my sewing room;)

My LQS is still selling fabric $8.50 yd. FQ $2.20.

Our LQS just went out of business. apparently couldn't compete with Joanne's.

I needed 2 more yds of Duckcloth to add to an already finished project on 3/28 it was 6.99 not on sale- yesterday after a 40% cp it was 9.99 a yd. needless to say its still at JoAnns till the mailman brings me my new sale paper,its a paying gig but I can"t spend other peoples money any differently than I would my own This keeps up I may end up in a strait jacket I hear with-drawals are hard to get thru :-P :-P

I just can't fathom pay $12.50/yd for quilting cotton. It's a good thing I have a large stash.