Sticker Shock...
 

Because of health issues and 4 surgeries, I have not been quilting for the past year. I recently went into a popular sewing store, that we all know and love (at times), and I found that they had Premium Quilter's Cotton for $14.99/yd. Oh, my goodness, $15.00 per yard? As I gasped at the price, a lady next to me was looking at muslin fabric and was commenting that it was $8.00/yard. I remember when muslin used to go for 88 cents/yard.

If it were not for sales at brick-and-mortar stores and on-line fabric shopping, I wonder how much longer that I will be able to afford fabric on my fixed income. Which makes me so much happier to know that I will now have to shop for fabric at my own 'in-home' store. I always tell my husband, when he complains about how much fabric that I have, that it would come in handy in my retirement years. :D It is good to know that I was right. I used to tell him that my hobby would somehow pay for itself in the long run, because with few exceptions, my fabric would always be there. I also reminded him I could have taken up a hobby that once you put your money down, it was gone and you had nothing to show for it. That is my story and I am sticking to it...

My oldest son accused me of being a hoarder when he seen all the fabric I have stashed. I told him the same thing that it will be for my retirement years. Wonder how much more fabric I can get in 5 years and 7 months!!!

That store and their coupons annoy me. Raise prices to offer a coupon, and still often end up paying more than you would elsewhere.

Standard price here in the U.K. Sadly! £15 p/m for high quality cotton (some even up to £22 p/m). Thinner cottons and solids are normally around £10. I definitely have to shop around

Glad you are well and back to quilting, Mac. It is getting expensive so I don't buy much, but I do look at it as "therapy", too. Quilting does make me content and happy! and that counts for a lot!

Yup! I've said it before, I find their pricing structures "predatory". Definitely don't feel the love for them! I paid less than that per yard for a couple of hand dyes at a show this past weekend.

RJLinkletter, I feel so badly for you. I think my quilting would be limited to deconstructing used clothes and used sheets if I lived across the pond. (heck I do that already!) It is equally painful for our neighbors to the north. So I will count my blessings I can still find affordable fabric on line and on visits to the western part of NYS where I can shop the mennonite shops. I am also abundantly blessed that I can afford fabric even at $10 per s/y (but I usually pay much less)

Oh my, and I thought we had it bad. Guess the old saying that goes, "it can always be worse', still holds true. You all must be diehard quilters to pay that much per yard. In your case, I would shop all the thrift stores and yard sales.

Mac, I never pay full price at "that store". The fabric usually has a percentage off (between 20 and 40%) or, if not, a coupon I can use. That price is ridiculous to me, when quilt shop cottons go for about $10 or $11. I usually shop sale sections online, and pay about $5 per yard. You can also shop at the many destashing groups on Facebook and get good fabric for between $3 and $6 a yard.

Whenever I go to a quilt shop (good fabric), the first place I check is their clearance section. Prices are usually half off.

I am trying so hard not to buy fabric just because I like it. In my mind it just feeds their price gouging. But I am a sucker for Christmas and Halloween fabric, oh and Disney, Minions, etc., etc. So I now try to only buy fabric for which I have a true plan for it. I have given away so much fabric the past few years and I still have more that I will ever use. I need to get back going to a sewing group - my favorite part of quilting now is quilting with a friend.

I have been on a fabric buying craze. My husband would kill me if he knew how much it costs. I am pretty new so had no real stash.... but now I do, lol. It’s going to take me a long time to sew up everything I’ve bought.