I search on www.quiltshops.com www.ebay.com www.etsy.com

quilt shops dot com features 200 quilt shops and usually somebody has something! One time on etsy I lucked out and found an "Our Lady of Guadalupe" panel...the cotton one with roses and I gave it to a friend after she swooned when she saw it! When I went to get another one there wasn't one to be found anywhere. There are other styles but not the one I bought from etsy!

Also when I search I use for example, the brand name (Robert Kaufman) the designer (Mary Englebright) the pictures on it (sun, moon, stars, dogs, elephants) style (plaid, homespun, solid, flannel, quilting, 100% cotton and so on).

I can sometimes locate a fat quarter or a small amount! Sometimes a quilt store will still have plenty.

The manufacturers of fabric really have an advantage because they do a run and then retire it and move on to new styles. It's so painful when you need it to finish a project or just want more of something you LOVE!

Fabric.com
Joanns.com
connecting threads

thousandsofbolts.com and whittles.com

I start with ebay, etsy and then just start searching around at many other places I have purchased from. Never had a bad experience!

ebay, thousands of bolts and connecting threads.

In addition to http://www.quiltshops.com/index.html which has already been mentioned, I use three other fabric search engines:
http://webstore.quiltropolis.net/
http://www.fabshophop.com/fabsearch.asp
http://search.fabricshop.net/cgi-bin/sitesearch.cgi
I also use Google images (looking through images is much easier than looking through websites). There's not much I haven't been able to find with this group of websites. :oops:

I've been using e.quilter but I really prefer to go to my LQS.

www.missingfabrics.com They are great!

I make sure I look at missouri quilt company's deal of the day everyday-there are some really good deals on there sometimes. I also like thousands of bolts. Does anyone else know of any other sites that have a deal of the day like missouri quilt company has each day?

Hancock of Paducah online, ebay any small shop or just google. I also go to some local quilt shops and will often buy it there even if it cost me more. I want them to stay in business.