I have been known to buy bolts for (PFD) dying/painting sky backgrounds and black batik for borders and binding (I think I have one and a half left). We have a LQS which quite often has a one for 40%. They have great batiks and a bolt for 40% is doable.
New England Quilt Supply also offers wholesale prices with a tax ID. It makes a fun road trip.

I always thought that the coupons were good only for 10 yards....
how much is usually on a blot?

thanks........

Yes, at Joanns, I was charged the regular per yard cost.

Many times!!! And pay the full yardage price. Every now and then my friend and I used to buy a large bolt together (12 yards) wholesale. She had a business tax id.

Ditto!!!

I have bought at least 3 bolts, and it was because they were great deals. 40% coupon at Jo-Ann's, closeout at Wal-Mart and at a discount place. Kinda fun having that much to work with.

I've bought full bolts from Hancock's of Paducha. They always quote a discounted price for the bolts. I also ask how many yds on the bolt because they vary.

buy batting by the roll, and have bought homespun by the bolt for color continuity

I have bought full bolts of muslin when on sale at Joannes.

I have also brought full bolt of cotton batting on line.

Good quality muslin is always a good buy as is batting. I always use my Joanne's 40% off coupon when buying in quantities like that.

Where's that georgeous face!!?

My husband and I were coming back from Florida and I wanted to stop at Foust textiles in Kings Mountain NC. It's a big wharehouse (I could go crazy in there) bolts and bolts of fabric and all kinds of sewing stuff.I bought a bolt of 110" wide for backing.bought thread and quilt kits that were cut out and in packages.LOVE that place. Only trouble I don't get to go there much.
You can go there on line , but I really don't know if they sell to individuals. I have a small business and when I call them they ask for name of business. But if you know someone maybe you could use their business name. Only bad thing you do have to buy the whole bolt. But it's good prices.

The only one I've ever bought is a bolt of Warm and Natural. It was on sale for 50% off so I thought it was worth my while to have some on hand.

Thank you so much for those web sites. I will explore the possibilities. Linda

Does anyone know of a good online source here in Canada to buy Kona cotton....I would love to buy by the bolt but don't know if I should buy here or in the US.

Kona also has PDF fabric...do you think this would be OK to use just the way it comes for piecing...I don't want to dye anything right now..would it absorb colour from other fabrics even though they are colourfast?

I'm keeping my eye out for a tone on tone white or maybe even a Kona cotton white bolt as I want to do a cathedral window in white with black and red. I've been told I'll need around 10-13 yards, so I figure I might as well buy the bolt. But, I've not researched it much.

I buy full bolts of muslin, stabilizer and fusible fleece. BUT, there are no guarantees your bolt will be perfect throughout. That's the good thing about having the fabric cut, you can view both sides before cutting to be sure you're not getting any flaws that will affect your project.

If you ever get a bad bolt of anything, notify the manufacturer. I bought 3 bolts of fusible fleece made by Pellon, it's a little pricey but high quality and JoAnns sells it so I can use a coupon.

Well, I'm unfolding a bolt and get about 1/3 of the way through it and it's cut!! Not good if it's a quilting project, fortunately it wasn't so it didn't really cause me a problem. Got another couple yards into it and suddenly it's burnt - I mean like it caught fire on the roller or something, black soot, big burn holes, crinkly ashy stuff goin' on everywhere.

I took pictures, emailed Pellon (couldn't send the pictures on their customer service email but told them I had them if they wanted to see them), they replied quickly and sent me a HUGE bolt of the stuff for free.

So never think you're stuck, if the manufacturer is a quality one, they will make good on their product.

I bought a full bolt of Heat 'n Bond (not sure of the name--fusing medium) because I do a lot of applique. Can't remember where I got it but I think it might have been Joann's online. It was much cheaper than buying it in the little packages or even buying it by the yard. Now I'll never run out--at least I don't think I will.

Batting and muslin. Absolutely. Then when I'm snowed in - I have no excuse! 50% off - put me in coach.

I have bought full bolts of warm & natural but I don't think I have ever bought a full bolt of fabric.

I wish I could by whole bolts of fabric -- even with a coupon. But my budget and storage space just doesn't allow it.
Still, I have a good size stash so that's ok.

I buy full bolts of pima cotton and cotton sateen from Robert Kaufman directly to use for my hand dyed fabrics. OK...so that may sort of be cheating, but...

I do buy Rinsaway, a water soluble stabilizer, by the bolt (with a 40% off coupon naturally...my momma done drown the dumb ones <grin> ) for invisible machine applique.

I have bought full bolts of muslin bleached and unbleached, heat and bond, stitch and tear, tone on tone natural color prints, battings. I buy the stuff I use lots of by the bolt.
I can not say I ever bought a whole bolt of a particular print , I would be bored with it by the time I finished my first quilt.

I have bought full bolts of Warm and natural..great price. Also full bolts of muslin...also good price. If you finish bolts at some quilt shops...they give you 20% off the fabric...so if you get the whole bolt same thing.

I buy warm and natural and I like to buy the either white on white or cream on cream that I use in alot of my quilt blocks.

Could never afford it. Prices here are high.

Oops! Forgot...

Buy Hobbs Wool batting on the bolt from Kingsmen. Very economical that way and no coupon!

at sauder's in pa, when they have their give-a-way sales. and once from joann's with a 50% coupon, when i needed 9 yeards for a backing. it was 8 yards on the bolt. they had 2 loose yards and i had to take a whole bolt to get the rest out of the warehouse. worst mistake i ever made. they are such doodyheads.

I often buy bolts of fabric at Marden's here in Maine. The average price per yd of fabric there is $2.99 so it's a great savings over quilt shop fabric prices. The fabric on the whole is quilt shop quality just not the hottest off the press. I am very glad that I'm fortunate to have one of their stores located nearby. I sure wouldn't have much of a stash if I had to pay top price.
Anna

I've never found a fabric that I like enough to buy a whole bolt however after reading this thread, buying fabric for backing by the bolt makes sense and I would most likely look at your website first.

When you think about it, if you're doing a large quilt you might need about 9 yards for the backing, and if you do borders out of that fabric and some of the blocks too, you're probably talking close to a whole 15-yard bolt anyway.

I'm wondering if there is an un-met need among quilters for full bolts? It would be easy for a store to deeply discount a full bolt, if it's special ordered for a customer, there's little handling involved (you don't have to measure a full bolt), and the store doesn't have to "hold" the fabric, just move it in and right out again.

It would be nice to have the option to use a fabric that you *love* for the backing, if it's a quilt that you're going to keep for yourself, or give as an heirloom gift, right? Instead of settling. (If the price is right for your budget, of course!)

I've never been able to buy a whole bolt of anything, but I have, at times, bought all that was left on a bolt. That might be 2 yards or 10.

Are you going to offer this on your web site??

I have bought full bolts of muslin and batting, I have used the 50% coupon from Jo Anns. I buy the wam and natural batting and the wide muslin. As for fabric, maybe 1/2 bolt if on sale.

I bought my first full bolt of coton bating at Jo-anns with a half off cupon. I left feeling like I just stole it!

Yep, that is how I feel when I get mine.

Several years ago I purchased a bolt of navy fabric with tiny white dots. I thought it was so lovely. I sacrificially used a lot of it making aprons for our church mission team to take to Brazil, then made more the next year.

I used it a lot in quilts until, after a couple more years, it didn't seem quite so "lovely" and then it was used for backing, lining teacosies etc.

Finally, earlier this year I became so sick of looking at it that it went to the Charity Shop.

I don't think I shall ever use a navy pindot again!!

I didn't read all the posts on this topic, so my apologizes in advance, if this is a re-peat question. Many of you have said you particularly by Muslin in the bolt... What do you do with a whole bolt of Muslin? Just curious??
Thanks, Julie in AZ

i have bought full bolts at Jo anns when i have a coupon , usually it is for warm and natural or muslin