I know in the Netherlands many people make very small quilts and they hang them up.

I can see quilting, but not building a stash. You would only buy enough fabric to make a quilt and that would have to be calculated very carefully.

ya gas is up over 1.00 a gallon-they say food is up 29%.but no raise.so I sell off some of my stash to compensate.

I was in Paris some ten years ago and saw a beautiful tapestry fabric on a room divider--books on bookshelves. As I'm a writer too, I wanted enough to make one myself. Went in and after 45 minutes--they didn't speak English, I didn't speak French--ordered 3.5 meters. $950!!! It was made in Monaco and had to be shipped, adding postage and more duty.

I've done without it and told the tale many times.

Sandy

Just a thought, but do you think quilters who have stashes are keeping the price of fabric down? Like the Post Office was cheaper to mail letters before E-mail and faxing became so popular. Less mail means less stamps sold so prices have to go up. Fabric hoarding, and I use that word kindly, could be keeping the prices down in the U S. Also and I hate to say this out loud or in print, but in many Europeon countries they chardge a tax on service on all products, so that raises the price too. Some states here charge tax on shipping and handling for orders placed on QVC and HSN, so I try to buy products that have free shipping and handling.

But don't they make a lot more money there than we do here? That would even it out a little bit.

Glad to be here in the good old USA

I wonder why God chose to only bless the USA?

I have a friend in Australia who orders fabric in the U.S.
Even with shipping price it is cheaper than buying it there.

Watching all the news about monetary collapse in some European countries, I wonder about this.

I have no idea about the hight of the average American income, so I can't compare it. But fabrics are expensive in our opinion too.

But not just fabric, we pay $2,30 - 2,40 for 1 liter of gas for the car. How sad is that ?

Ohh, I will remember that , thanks .LOL. Border security (or something like that) is checking boxes from shops more often than they did before and ad the bill for tax and VAT.
Extra problem is that some stores don't write the 'sales' price on the box, but the 'official' price before the sales started. So that means extra tax. But even than it's still cheaper than buying it here.

Isn't SS suppose to be a supplement retirement income not the only income? I don't know the circumstances of course but I do know it must be very difficult to live on SS fixed income. :?

I too am jealous of US prices for fabric as here in New Zealand we also pay $20 - $30 per meter. It is one reason I don't join the exchange blocks and groups etc that look like fun. The expense would be huge. But when one has an addiction one finds a way!

This is why I used sheets and curtains from the used clothing stores for backings. It is soo much cheaper than fabric, there is just no comparison.

I believe that was the original intent. At least that is what I've heard.

Not necessarily. However, they are used to some benefits that the citizens of the US don't get and they live in small houses/apartments, usually. :) Things tend to be smaller in general--refrigerators, apt. (a 500 sq. ft. apt. for a family of 4 is normal) and cars are smaller as well as sizes of things you buy in the store.

So maybe people make smaller quilts! ;)

I do know that I went on a trip to Vienna in 2007 and we found a guilt shop. I was sooo excited. I decided that I didn't want to splurge too badly, so I allowed myself to spend 5 Euros. That was funny. I think I got about 7 or 8" of fabric (not even a quarter meter/yard). It was beautiful though. :)

But we don't have it at any price here. Our cottons consist of 15 solid colors and it is more coarse than soft.

LOL, sounds like your a little shocked!!!

Here in the UK we pay around £10.99 a metre and upwards from there, that is about $16 and upwards. I have tried shopping online and getting my fabric sent over from the USA, but by the time I pay shipping charges and all the taxes for it coming into this country the fabric works out dearer in the long run. Maybe I will just emigrate to the USA and I will be able to sustain my hobby( I meant passion):)

Yep, we are truely blessed, God Bless the Great USA and our troops. I will never again complain about fabric prices. I don't know how anyone can aford fabric. I wonder what food prices are like??? The stuff you buy in the grocery store.

Very true!

Do you have thrift stores that sell recycled fabrics in The Netherlands, Australia, etc.? By the way, in The Netherlands you may have expensive fabrics but you have the best AIRPORT that I've ever seen (Schipol) in Amsterdam!! Having that hotel that you can rent space in on a layover without leaving the airport is simply amazing!!! Now if we could just get you some inexpensive fabrics...

Yes, it's a great airport, and so easy to travel to as it has a train station attached as well.
Too bad I don't use it as much as I use my fabrics LOL

So far I haven't found any quiltfabric in thrift stores. They sometimes do have some table cloth and/or sheets , but not that good ornice that I wanted to buy them . I do look for them, because , a quilter never kn ows when she might get lucky .... :-)

Similar prices to most parts that I have visited and live in. I have always been under the belief that the material is shipped cheaply to the U.S. from such places as Japan, then re-packaged and sold to the rest of us and that is why we have such high prices. If my assumption is wrong, I can easily take correction or information.

wow, I cannot fathom those prices ... I am grateful to have the meager stash I have built over the last 20 years.

I have heard that too. One just has to be resourceful. I buy from the US at half the price, visit 2 fabric outlet stores who sell at half price, but still support quilt stores and at craft shows for top quality. I would love to be able to go to the quilt stores all the time. Where I shop mostly comes down to how special the quilt I am making is. Linus quilts are often made from donated fabrics or fabrics bought at the outlet stores plus from my stash. Hey, I don't smoke or gamble and drink only socially so I figure I deserve fabric.

wow, i was born in the netherlands and still have family there. my cousin quilts, but i am sure not so much with those prices. maybe i should send her fabric from here.

No stash there.

Glad to know that. I won't fuss so much about the price of
our fabric.

At the IQF in Houston, Texas last year, there were some European fabrics in the blue,yellow, red and they were expensive...Don't know how much per yard but I just know that compared to what we have here, they were very costly!!

We were in Barcelona,Spain in 2009 and paid equal to $6.00 for a small bottle of lemonade...but when you are there, what can you do??? In Italy, paid almost $30.00 for med pizza and 2 bottles of water...but best pizza have ever had

Be sure to wipe the drool off the fabrics, before you leave. :thumbup:

crabby Patty,, you are right... somewhere there is a rock pile ...........who is under it?

fabric is more expensive here,but I don't buy other than I need,often buy from US, but it's the travelling to quilt shops.
think raises both for employees and those who live from the state everywhere are non existant ,in fact some employees have had their wages/hours cut to keep their jobs.

That's why I buy my fabric online....GOD BLESS THE INTERNET!!! lol

Try http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/index.cfm for fabrics Just remember to keep your order to under £18 to avoid Import duties. For under £18 you can get 6 yards of Cotton and 4 yards of flannel go into a USP envelope which costs approx; £10

http://www.threadart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2 for threads.

If you use this site http://www.xe.com/ to convert the currency you will see how much you can save, honest as I use them ALL the time.

HOW DOES THE INCOME COMPARE IN THOSE COUNTRIES TO THE INCOMES HERE?

We certainly are bless in this country. Just think if we had to pay $10 for a gallon of milk, $50 for a lb of beef, or $20.00 for a gallon of petrol/gas for our vehicles. We complain to much in this country because of all the freedoms we have. We take things for granted but don't realize how good we have had it.

Incomes in many of those countries do not fair as good as even our minimum wage in this country.

The statement is not exclusive. I'm an atheist and know that this statement is an exclamation of gratitude, not a demand.