I have been buying almost all of my fabric online. The prices in the LQS are out of sight. If they offer free shipping it's even better. At a recent quilt show they were selling FQ's at 3.25!

I agree.

Not just LQS! The last time I was in Hancock's I glanced at a bolt of fabric that I thought I might purchase some from and it was $19.99
per yard! It wasn't even anything special like Batik or Moda. Needless to say it is still there. Oh, and I won't be making the trip into town to purchase any fabric from them any time soon. Even with the 40% off coupon it was waaaaayyyyy overpriced.
Ann in TN

Prices are the reason I haunt 2nd hand stores...sheets - very good condition, $1.00, cotton clothing, all sort of print, .25, put aside your pride and try the gently used. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Already doing that. It used to be a past time, now it is becoming a necessity. Ann in TN

try IKEA - starts at $2.99 on sale and up to $8.99 for the good stuff!! I went crazy there today with the $100 gift card I won!!

They keep climbing.

I just came back frpm Arizona and paid $11.50 but it was exactly the one I needed to coordinate with one I had at home so I bought a yard.

I was in Queensland/Brisbane last month and the average price per yard that I looked at was $27. WOW - I was more than happy to return back to the states and spend $12+ per yard. We really are fortunate here in the states!!

We were in Az last month and went to Mulqueen's main store and boy could I get in trouble there with their variety of sewing machines and fabric.
To top it all off he is Irish like me and we had a lot to discuss about Ireland and our relatives over there.

Like alot of you I am really glad that I have the stash that I do. I'm thinking that I will be pieceing the backings as well.
Australian prices are so high but their minnimum wage is alot higher than ours. My BIL who lives over there says that the cost of living is very high but so are the salaries.
I'm ready for the world to slow back down to the slower pace and the better economony but I seriously doubt that it is any time soon. With both of us being retired and on a very fixed income, I guess we will be making do with what we have and thanking God that we have what we do. It is a scarey time for all of us world-wide.

We've been discussing the rise in the price of cotton fabric and batting here since last winter. It is due to a bad cotton crop, worldwide, and increased demand with less suppy. Unfortunately, when the supply increases again eventually, we aren't likely to see prices go back down again. Just like with food costs rising, that's not the way it works!

Nearly everyone thinks walmart fabric is not good fabric. I have no problem with it and it makes beautiful quilts. I'll pay $5 or $6 a yard any day.

About a mo. ago I spent 2 wks. in No. MI. Stopped at every quilt shop I found. The prices were very reasonable, I thought and I'm a tight wad. They ran around 5-6 $. Brought home a pile that took me 2 days to find room for all of it. Our local LQS has good quality for $5. I'm hoping she never finds out what others are charging. Haven't stopped in since I've been home. Perhaps she has gone up. Must stop in and take a look. I feel sorry for those who have no choice. Surely glad I have my little stash. All take care.

thrift store/consignment store.....never mind just cutting up for quilts......might also be good enough to wear as is...I guess this is what our "auntcestors" were faced with too, thus all the wonderful, historical treasures we now copy....

Its true- at the end of the day, the Global financial crisis hasn't hit us badly...yet. They say it will, and there is alot of speculation as to when and how bad. But as it stands right now our min wages are higher than yours.

Having said that - there is still no way in heck I would pay $27 a meter for anything!

As I said before I just bought 1/2 yard Moda for 1.99 US - that is good isn't it? Like really good? Its my first o/s purchase - so usually I spend way more than that....On-line is the way to go I think.

Its very sad times for the small quilt shop, and they do say that because aussies can get stuff heaps cheaper o/s than here - alot of our small businesses are going to close. I can get violin strings in the US for $60..the same set here is $140.

Same for quilting fabric....

My local Mill Ends Fabric shop still has broadcloth for less than $2/yd. I bought some regular quilting fabric still on the bolts for under $5.50/yd. Good brands, too. Derla

Yes you are very lucky you are not in OZ (Australia)....as some of the Thimbleberries are starting prices @ $39.95 a yard & the gorgeous Japanese designs start @ $49.95 a yard...& then there is all the imported US sewing notions...& yes I do actually mean the sewing accessories that are still made in the US....even the quilting magazines that are still printed in the US.....in OZ we pay for all the import charges....reps showing their wares....& then the shops add the overheads on the cost of the fabrics...ie...nice carpet, staff wages, heating, lighting, air conditioning, piped music....etc etc.....so me who is a US female & working in OZ....you quilting gals ain't see nothin of the prices here.

Cheerio, Jane

new arrivals today were $20.00

The rising prices are really hard in this tight economy where many may be lucky to have jobs, but no raises for years. As gas, food, clothing go up, there is little room in budgets for fun stuff....

And when they run out they are going to have to buy the higher priced items. May not be $12/yd, but I'll just bet you won't be seeing any at $2.00.
OzarksGma

I am blessed in so many ways because up here in ct,and in RI we have a place that we can get fabric for 1.99 a yard until sept 1 then it will be 2.99 a yard.Affordable fabrics is the name if your ever up by the casino in Ct.

I have seen fabric at Hobby Lobby for $10.99 a yard, but it was collegiate fabric. Their Northcott cotton has gone up to $9.99 a yard, but is always 30% off and you can use a 40% coupon in lieu of the 30%. Still a bargain to me.

Keep in mind that it is not just the price of the fabric that the stores have to contend with, but the rent goes up every year whether the store makes money or not, most employees expect raises, electric is up because of this awful heat. It amazes me that as many shops are able to stay in business as do.

My goodness, was it laced in gold?

Wow, my son and wife came in from TN to FL for my birthday tomorrow. I let her go thru tons of my material and so far she has one box packed full. Now I see your saying how much material is. LOL Should I try and sell it to her by the pound?? LOL

I noticed in our quilt stores the past couple of weeks the new fabric, not batik, is $10.50 a yard.

Hmmm, if your LQS is selling for $7.99 it makes you wonder why they can keep their prices low while the others are selling so much higher.

I only shop sales. Can't afford to pay regular prices. I buy a lot from Connecting Threads and Fabric.com. They have some pretty good prices and their sales are great. I also use cloth from clothes. I shop church rummage sales, thrift shops and always tell all my friends to let me check anything they plan to give or throw away. Just call me Tightwad...LOL

Living in United Kingdom our good fabrics are about £12 a meter when you add in the exchange rate that is much more than your prices.

I have started looking in Charity Shops for good used cotton clothes. I simply cannot afford new fabrics at all anymore.

I knew to brace for higher prices ... but kept hoping it was not going to be quite so bad... some predicted 15.00 - 18.00 per yard in the US.
I had my first sticker shock in Feb ... saw a drop dead gorgous fabric ... it was $12.95 per yard. Most of the LQS near me have been $11.50 -$12.95 for awhile. As much as I like to support the LQS ... when ever I go to Buffalo I stop at Favorite Fabrics .. great prices on current fabrics.

Rediscovering the "art of the scrappy" is my new going forward method of picking fabric.
I love looking at the scrappy quilt show message thread , there is enough insipration to keep me busy for a long time. I hope people keep on posting there it is so motivating to use what I have.

On the bright side ... cotton futures have been trading down from the all time highs....( March 7 2011 cotton trading hit an all time high of 2.20 per pound , this was double from a year prior) but it needs to trend down for a few more months to impact the market. .. then it will be a matter of what will the retail market support price wise..... if you were a buyer at $11.00 why would they sell it to you for less. So it will be interesting to see who passes on the lower prices first.

Is is time to do as our grandmothers did, re-use fabrics from old clothes, sheets. Do we need to bring back the flour sacks?

Glad I don't live in Australia; I wouldn't be able to afford to quilt. Glad my stash is so large - I can shop from it. Have noticed the price of fat quarters is way up.

If they are trying to discourage us from quilting they might as well give up right now!!! We win hands down,agreed ?

I am sooooo glad I have stash!!! I knew there was a reason for me to be collecting all of that fabric.

I agree with Suebee Mulqueen's is the only reasonable LQS in AZ that I know of. All the rest are at the top on the scale and if you live on a fixed income you just can't afford to support the LQS's unless it's a big sale. :-( :-( :-(

Fabric in our LQSs is running $10+ but one of our LQS had their annual BIG sale today. Over 1800 bolts priced at $4.88/yd. I walked out with 32 yards of fabric and 9 charm packs for $215!! What a great deal. This was my first time to be able to make it to the sale. Some of the veterans were there with shopping carts and furniture dollies to carry their bolts.

Yes...and I remember when I dreaded the thought of paying that much per yard for the wonderful wide backing fabric!
I consider myself lucky to have Fabric Depot so close, they always have at least a 25% off fabric then the 35% off days. Then there is their 40% off coupon on any one item..which comes in handy if I want to get 5 yards of something.

Ack!! those prices are terrible...I am afraid I would not have but one set of clothes...hubby, too....because I would have to use all the others to quilt with!! :-D ...seriously, I think that is awful for the fabric to be that expensive...at the lqs around me, most are $10.00+ a yard...the shop I am a member of their guild has the best prices, usually $8.99 a yard and under...but with the terrible drought we are in around here, and how it is affecting the crops, makes the price of cotton go up, which trickles down to increased prices on fabrics...everything seems to go up, but wages...

That's why I don't buy at LQS'...Maybe the fabric is sprinkled with gold dust ??? LOL