Nope, you are not out of touch! That's about right for the good stuff.

Granny sorry to hear that, that's what I am afraid of around here. I try to support my local shops when I can but with prices increasing I have cut back and depend a lot on sales.

Hi Judi I am from Australia and we have to pay AUs$25-$29 per mitre here. It is no wonder we think your fabrics are so cheap when we purchase on line. I use a lot of recycle materials. It is the batting that is very expensive here.

It seems everything goes up except the paycheck!

I would have guessed that wool batting in your country would be cheaper??!!

What you want to do is go to the websites and read the "about us" page. That will tell you a lot about which of the stores are big-box and which are family owned. There are hundreds of quilt shops on the web, some small, some medium and some large. Another place to get info on independent quilt shops is at the Fabric Shop Owners Network, here's a link to the blog: http://www.fabricshoppersunite.com/blog/

Agree with that 100%. ozecb

Kinda started my "stash" when I worked for Hancocks Fabrics way, way back in the 70's, in high school...Yea! I really am THAT old...and PROUD! I earned this grey hair ; - D
OK, my point is coming, I cannot believe the difference of the hand of today's JoAnn's type fabrics (wilts without startching) versus my old stuff. Have found I HAVE to go to the expensive quilt shops which carry Moda, etc. to begin to get what I used to take for granted. Same on tatting thread, yarn (acrylic wastes precious time...item looks terrible in no time). WHERE did our wonderful USA made fiber/fabrics go???? Gorgeous intricately woven patterns, with substance... Have a little from my grandmother's stash...NICE quality. ...I can not afford to buy today's stuff...nor much desire to do so.

I see the original comment was from someone in the Denver area, and at least one other comment was from the Denver area, so here is some info for those of us in the Denver-metro area. I just went to a quilt store in Lyons (Quilting Hands), on the way to Estes Park, and the owner keeps at least one-quarter of her fabric--good quality fabric--marked at around $5.50 a yard. These are bolts that have not moved quickly, and she is constantly marking down the bolts, also giving great deals on fat quarters which are also continually marked down. The FQ are full priced at $2.25, then become "orphaned" and are 25% off, and then are marked to $1.40 or less. She had about 7 bins of fat quarters that were $1.40 or less. Yea!! I ended up with 6 yards of fabric and more than 25 FQ for $85, inclding tax. The store also has a website: www.quiltinghandsshop.com. If anyone is in the Lyons, Colorado, area, I encourage you to stop by the shop--you will be amazed at what you will find there.

i don't pay over 2.00 a yard. I go to my quilting lady that makes quilts for people, she sells her extra cottons for 2.00 and i lucked out and found a woman that sells me about once a month will sell me some of her mothers stuff that she had when she passed away, she sells it for 2.00 a yard. I go to garage sale for good sheets at .50 to 1.00 apiece. there are so many things you can do to cut corners. Also, put a little add in the free be pamplets in stores they let you put in free just to have ads, that you are looking for fabric.