I buy on sale or clearance or direct from the wholesaler. I don't think I've paid over $6 a yard in the last year for fabric. Right now I'm stocking up on as many different prints and colors of wide backing fabric. That seems to be my biggest expense right now for my quilts.

I noticed this on my last shop hop. prices are going crazy.
glad I have a lot of ufo;s and stash to work with.

I know what you are talking about. I was in LA, and went to the garment district, and left with nothing. I paid a fortune for parking, but refused to buy at $13 a yard. I went to an estate sale, and picked up a ton of fabric, but a lot was dated. I tried to buy fabric that was not dated, like dots. I like making scrap quilts, and incorporate some of the dated with others.

Are you sure you weren't shopping in Canada? Our quilt shops here are all in the $14.95 to $18.95 range unless there is a sale going on. Even Fabricland (definitely not my favourite with some of the same "tactics" as Joannes) has fabric at $15.95 a metre. Some of our Mennonite shops and on farm stores are cheaper $5.95 to $12.95 but they often don't carry the newest fabric lines. I'm lucky as I have an extensive stash and only need to shop to fill in the gaps and for backgrounds.

Remember the market is driven by consumer demand. When we refuse to buy at that price the prices will come down. I REFUSE to pay such prices. I will use thrift shop fabrics and buy at garage sales and do a lot of other things first. There has to be a limit.

Shall I shock you a little bit? Over here prices start at 15€per meter, that means nearly 20$! And most fabrics are sold for 17 to 20€: that is about 22 to over 25$! These prices are good for several heart attacs!!

I hit Joann's this weekend and bought mostly from the sale table and it was 50% off. And the one novelty fabric a friend really liked someone there had an extra 40% off coupon. I walked out with interfacing , fabric and thread for less than $30.. And that was a lot for me. small fixed income here .. I just buy everything on sale or I don't buy. Thrift stores here don't have a many sewing things anymore and when they do they tend to toss everything in a bag for one price and there is a lot of double knits and such I really don't want . I am going to have to find out the days of sales in the thrift stores also, because shirts and skirts have gone up to almost $6 each . I told my friend this weekend when we were thrift storing , that I may be priced out of thrift stores soon too. :)

Guess I will be looking for a new hobby!

I had heard that cost of living was higher in LA. I hadn't thought of what that might mean in terms of quilting!

You should have headed for Buena Park to go to M&L Fabric (technically located on the west end of Anaheim). Most fabrics are price at $10 to $12 but they have discontinued fabric mostly from RK that are $5.98 a yard and flat-folds at $2.98. My ex-boyfriend's mother use to fly out from Michigan with an empty suitcase so she could take home all the fabrics she bought when I took her there.