Something I'm not concerned about is dated fabric. What recipients know it's dated and what is wrong with an 'old' design? Piecing dated fabric is sometimes intentional and sometimes complimentary to the quilt's appearance in color and pattern. It's like car depreciation....as soon as it's 'off the bolt' it's dated, right? Yet, we pay top price for reproduction fabrics, 30's fabrics, solids, novelty, batiks, stripes, etc. and they're all essentially dated. My stash is dated no matter how I look at it. But, I love what I have. My finished quilts are dated now too and I just began quilting in 2006. I just got 23 yards of fabric for $1/yard at a garage sale and it's all dated but it sure made me happy!

Even connecting threads has gone up. Marshal Dry goods has some good prices. and sometimes yard sales. Cannot/will not pay over $10.00 a yard and if everyone quit buying prices would come down. Hancocks has the American made brand in lots of solids for under $6.00 (on sale right now, just over 6 otherwise) and grown and made in USA. Bought a yard of pale yellow and color card and washed it and it is very nice material. I also find some nice material for 5-7 at Wal Mart. Have had some on here say the will not buy Wal Mart Material, so happy that you have a big enough income to pay $14.00 and up at LQS but SS is not that generous. You just have to feel material and see if you can see through it. They have some really nice for $7.95 and very pretty too.

Even garage sales are ridiculous with fabric prices. I just shake my head and move on. They can keep their fabric.

Some are, yes. There is a flea market every weekend up the road from me where a guy buys storage lockers and just throws everything out in piles for people to pick through. I went once, spent an hour picking through junk(found lots of pictures and personal papers that made me sad) to come up with 4 or 5 pieces of older cotton fabric, a small grocery bag of notions and a few old quilting magazines. He wanted $40 for the stuff. I said for that price you can keep it. Then I went and scattered it back in the junk, I wasn't going to let him benefit from my work gathering it up.

Cari

I hear the cost of cotton has gone up, but I don't understand why clothes like blue jeans (100% cotton) are almost the same price as they were years ago. Am I missing something?

In the last three years the price of cotton has risen, went down a little then rose again. Fabric prices seem to follow the rise in cotton cost but not the ebb.
I don't know where you shop for jeans but last night my mom was looking for a specific style of Levis that she loves. The last pair she bought years ago she paid $29 for, the one place we found them last night they were $75. She decided to keep wearing the old ones, lol.


Cari

Good for you - not buying into the over the top prices - every time we buy something that we know is over priced we tell that store that we are willing to get the screws put to us...

Yes, I used to give my quilts away freely, now I have to consider cost.

I can get 10 fat quarters for $16....or £12 here in the UK.... is that good??

That's what we pay in Canada for regular prices that you pay $7-8 or even less for Thea same fabric!