I agree the prices keep rising ,but for me this keeps me only buying what I really need most of the time.I also give into buying just because I love the fabric. Maybe it will have you love your projects more. :lol:

That's true! We certainly are becoming more selective! I am starting to put my fabrics into 'kits' with the pattern so that I remember why I bought it in the first place.... only for quilts that I absolutely love and have to make!

I am also piecing backs rather than using big yardage, I like it better and it used up some of the left overs which I might not use in another project.

I was going through my scrap boxes yesterday and wondered why I keep those little tiny pieces when I have so much yardage. I think I will make a scrap quilt kit or two and then give away the scraps. I rarely use up the scraps anyway! The collection just keeps growing and growing.

I agree the prices are outrageous. I come from a small town that luckily has a Wal-mart that still has a fabric department-brief as it is but their prices are going up too. The nearest Joann's is 40 minutes away and the better Joann's is 1 1/2 hours away. So it's not just the cost o fabrics but gas to get there too. Their are a few quilt shops with 40 miles, but it's all at a distance. I sure am not adding to my stash to quickly lately!

I am sad about the prices too as i said before , but then our gas is about 12 doll a gallon (uk) so we have a double problem

I have just joined this group. I am also finding fabric running very high. Am doing all that others have suggested. BUT someone said something about purchasing from retailers on this group? Can someone clarify and lead me through the process. I am looking at fabric to make aprons and most of what I want are novelty fabrics that are starting at over $9.00/yd, Any suggestions will be welcomed. fmd36 in NH

Yes, the prices are rising...this is one of the reasons to have a great stash built up. I'm sure the prices will continue to rise. Quilting nowadays is an expensive hobby.
Kind Regards,
MaryAnna

I prefer to buy the fabric on line! Connecting threads is great... and www.fabric.com is great too... they have a HUGE assortment and they are affiliated with Amazon.

Wow, this thread has certainly gotten long and I have really enjoyed reading everybody's point of view. Virginia, I am sorry to hear that you must close your dream store...it sounds like you are just being very realistic about the fact that you must make a living as well has provide a service. I love shopping at the my favorite LQS. The people there have become my friends and I can always find something that I <need>. I do have to watch my spending right now as I said before, we have 2 college daughters, and sometimes we feel like we are living paycheck to paycheck. While I personally prefer to do my purchasing at the LQS and will continue no matter the price, I do understand completely that there are other people who truly cannot afford to do that. Unfortunately, I think it is just part of the time we are living in. We live in a small community and we try to support our local stores as much as possible.

I've already posted in this thread, but reading through all the replies prompts me to post again. The thing which seems to stand out, apart from the rising cost of fabric, is how many of us are bemoaning the loss of manufacturing industries in our countries. Here in the UK we had fantastic cotton mills in the north of England, a great steel industry and a large car making industry, but no more. One of our world famous retailers, Marks and Spencers used to proudly boast that 99 per cent of all their goods were manufactured in Great Britain, alas not any more, most of their stuff is now made in the far east and north Africa. Here in Britain we have a proliferation on our high streets of what we call pound shops, everything for sale for £1.00, and where is the majority of the stuff they sell made? China. It is cheap and shoddy merchandise, but because it sells cheap we buy it. Living on a low fixed income I use these shops, I don't want to, but if its the difference between paying £1 in one of those shops or £3 or so in a local shop, well, there is no choice really.
China's annual growth rate is frightening, and a lot of the money they make by exporting their crap to the west is then being invested in western countries, so I think we may soon have more to worry about than the rising cost of fabric.

Shop Wal-Mart...good quality and often with close out prices. I never pay more than $3-4/yd. I stock up when I see the prices marked down to $1-2/yd! :lol: