Quilting Fabric, Sticker Shock
 

$12.70, $14.98, $23.00 a YARD.
Glad I don't need anything. I'll keep downsizing, but maybe keep more fabric than I had planned.

OMG!! Where are you shopping!?

Candace

I know right!!! it's getting crazy. Most of the higher prices have been on batiks, that I've seen anyway. I'm gonna stick with bargain and sale shopping!!!

There are really nice fabrics out there that cost much less. Where are you located?

You need to shop on line. Thousands of bolts, connecting threads, and so many more. I never pay over $6.00 a yard unless I just really fall in love with a fabric.

Sorry, I just can't handle that!! I am glad there are good quality fabrics on-line and I still find the designer brands and some of the Keepsake at Joann's just fine-and I never pay retail-always wait until they are 30-40% off, and use my QCA 10% discount, or use a 40-50% coupon when they are NOT on sale! I never pay more than $7.00/yd that way!

I was in JoAnns a couple of days ago and noticed their quilter's cotton new bolts priced $12.99, up from $9.99.

Yes, many of their premium cottons are, but they have so many sales, why buy retail???? Plus the coupons when they are NOT on sale. I am patient-I'll wait until I can get them at least 40%off!

I stock up on fabrics during shop hops.. I can touch and feel the fabric to make sure its not see thru flimsy stuff- during the hop usually have fabric 25% off.. Plus never hurts to hit their sale and bargain basement clearance fabric sections..

I know - Hancock's had some gorgeous fabric from M'liss Rae Hawley, it's called Kashmir Fleece, and was SOOOO wonderful to touch! I was going to purchase some, but it was $20 a yard!!!! :shock:

I agree- LQS are up over $11 yd!!! Yikes. So I am sticking to my bargain shopping and sales.

i love quilt shop quality fabric and yes it is expensive starting at $10.99 per yard. joann's isnt close enough to me to shop their stores and i find some fabrics from hancocks that i like so online shopping has been a lifeline for me but the name brand fabrics can still cost around $9.00 online.

Holy cow! That's crazy! If fabrics go to $20 a yard I won't be buying much at all.

Guess we will have to budget and save in order to go fabric shopping in the future. Have to make sure to have a project in mind. Also we'll really have to take advantage of the bargains when we find them.

The states is nothing compared to overseas....the fabric here is 15-18 euro a meter. A meter is 35" so almost a yard and the dollar is way down. $1=.76 euro on a good day it changes daily. I have an APO so I get US shipping prices but those that don't, Quilting is crazy expensive if your not careful. Funny for international quilters even at those prices is cheap but then in some places like here there money goes further in the states! I pay 6.99 euro a spool of 2000 meter thread when I can find it here. I miss coupons and LQS and joanns!

If I had to buy fabric in England I'd never make anything, the cheapest good quality fabric here is a minimum of £7.99 which equates to about $13 per yard. Needless to say I buy most if not all of my fabric from the US online, or if they don't deliver to the UK thankfully I have a wonderful friend in CO who I get it shipped to and she ships it to me. Only problem I have is keeping the yardage down so I don't get stung with Customs taxes but even with that it's much cheaper to buy from the US. I really have no idea why fabric in the UK is such an astronomical price. Hubby dreads our visits to the US because he knows there's almost always an extra bag coming home with us full of goodies.

I don't know for sure about Germany, but in the rest of the world, a meter is 39.37"...not 35". http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/s...ic/biggrin.gif

best regards to our international friends who follow their passion despite the cost. I applaud you. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Just an fyi - for reasonably priced fabric: I recently purchased online from http://www.5bucksayard.com and was VERY pleased. Nice fabric, lots of designs, great price and quick delivery.

My MIL visits every year from Sweden and brings a huge suitcase that she fills with fabric and takes home with her. She has a shopping list every year from her quilt guild and we march into Fabric Depot and she gleefully spends a few hundred dollars. The prices in Europe are quite high and the recent higher prices in the US are still lower than our counterparts overseas pay. :)

Living in Vanuatu, where we had NO access to any fabric or notions, except cheap Chinese (which I learned with), I always loaded an extra suitcase to take back when I visited the US. I couldn't get most on-line shops to send there, and the duty and postage would have cost a fortune, anyway. Even paying excess baggage, the cost per yard wasn't that much-besides, I always bought on sale, or with coupons. Australia and New Zealand which are not far from Vanuatu were really expensive-like $25.00/mtr back then. I amassed a huge stash bringing back a suitcase full every year, and then hauled every scrap back to the US when we moved back here a couple years ago! Last year when in Australia, I went into a LQS, drooled on the fabrics, and just could not bring myself to pay that much money!! We are so lucky here in the US, despite complaining about $9.00-12.00/yard!

a note to all in foreign countries--the U.S. dollar is so low now, especially against the Aussy $, it would pay to get fabric on-line from US shops and have it sent!! Your currency will go much further buying here now. Even paying overseas postage and probably duty (if you have it), it would still be less expensive to buy with your favorable exchange rate. I am sure if you had to have it sent to a US address, people on this board will be willing to forward it on to you--I know I would.

Eak. Hancock's has a 40% coupon in their mailer right now through March 14 - get on their list if you are not already...

thats crazy! i am so glad with the power of the internet i can find those same fabrics at $7.95 (which is what my local quilt shop charges for 98% of their name brand- quilting cottons) on up- and if i look for sales i can get them even lower- if i were still there & saw those prices i would head for the door- and probably (off-handedly) mention it's time to turn on the computer & get what i need- it's like gas prices! going crazy- too bad some lqs' dont even try to stay competitive- then wonder why they are getting less & less customers.

I just bought a bunch of new batiks from Fabric Depot.com....great pricing and they ship really quickly...and the fabric is wonderful!

you must be shopping in canada!! ha ha ha!!!

Last week I was in Atlanta visiting my daughter and family, and went to two wonderful shops. One was the Atlanta Sewing Center. I cannot remember the name of the other, but it was in the Sandy Springs/Buckhead area. They both had the most wonderful fabrics I've ever seen. I bought about 15 yards at the ASC, and most of it was 40% off (resulting in about $6.00 a yard). One piece of yardage was regular price, but I got the end of bolt 15% discount. At the second shop I didn't buy any fabric, but they had awesome stuff, and it was all 60 inches wide for $13.00 a yard. A little steep, but the 60 inch width factored in it really wasn't too bad. I am continually astounded at the prices going up so high at JoAnnes, where their fabric generally is not the quality you find at quilt shops. Seems that while their fabric doesn't match up to the quality at LQS their prices sure do.

Yes. It makes me scared to lay my rotary cutter against my ruler....what if I make a mistake? It will be an expensive one. Honestly, for me it take some of the joy away from quilting.

I am really trying not to buy any fabric, but I finished a quilt kit I have had for years and needed a binding. I have not been to JoAnns in quiet some time and got sticker shock. I did find what I needed for my binding, and it was on sale.

I work in a quilt shop and our most expensive are batiks at $12.50. Even with my employee discount I am not buying.

That's just way too high for fabric! That's why I shop thrift stores, garage sales and such for fabrics. I've already made all of my nieces and nephews quilts, and have already purchased the fabrics for my older sisters and younger sisters quilts, I am now doing more charity quilts so I use what I have on hand. I just love scrappy quilts!

You have to wonder how many people are actually buying these $15 - $20 per yard fabrics. I guess there are some of them out there or they wouldn't charge that much. I buy all of my fabric online at the stores others have mentioned but also check Ebay.

I know the price of quilting fabrics is out od site I was at a local fabric store yesterday picking up my sewing machine for it seems like the 20th time I was browsing at fabric (more like dreaming) I came across one that was 24.95 a yard. Needless to say I get looking. If you find a place that has nice material PLEASE let me know. Karissa

I haven't bought fabric in a while (I know right??), and now I am afraid to!! LOL Though I also will buy pretty much only when there is a sale of some kind. I can't afford to buy tons of fabric and have it sitting around forever. :)

Rachel

a meter is 40" approx

We were warned last year, but still.......it is because the cost of cotton has gone up so much. I heard one source say that we, quilter's, might have to use something other than cotton in the future......I know I only buy on sale and am generously using my stash......I sure can't afford the new stuff. Flannel is like gold!

Okay. I understand the concern over the prices of cotton. I really do. But and it is a Big But, if we stop buying fabric then many, many more online and brick and mortar shops will close. I have enough fabric to start my own quilt shop. I really do. But some how I find a few fabrics I just have to have! I also find a few I need for the current project. So yes I purchase what I need at the lowest price I can find. If it is $10.00 or more a yard so be it. It will take a little more saving to purchase my wants and needs. But I am still buying as I want the stores available to me now and in the future! Just my feelings on a very personal matter. Luann in CT

I was looking at a catalog, fell in LOVE with a fabric, then my dd said did you notice its' $39.00 a yard?? No and I sure won't pay that

I do about 95% of my shopping online and NEVER pay more than $6 a yard for name brand top quality fabrics. I use Whittle's in Kentucky, Crafttown in KY, Stitch N Frame in Vicksburg, MS and Quilt Fabric Closeouts the majority of the time. Occasionally I find great bargains in other shops as well.

I very seldom pay full price for fabric. There are 4 LQS that I frequent and always go directly to their discount corner. One of them starts out with 25%, then 30, 40, 50 & 60%. I usually buy when it is 60% off. The other 3 usually have 50% off or sometimes $5.00 yard. They all have cards that anything you buy at in the shop at regular price you get it stamped for every $10. 3 of them 20 stamps you get $20 merchandise purchase. The other one you buy $460 and get $40 merchandise. You can even buy sales items with the money from you completed card. Vendors come to our quilt guild monthly and I always check on their sales fabric. I have bought some at $4 a yard. I enjoy going to quilt shows and always find fabric on sale. My stash is big enough now that I am going to try to use it and only buy fabric I need to complete a project. I went to 2 estate sales in the last year and bought fabric at $1.00 yard. I purchased about $400 between the 2 sales.