Went into my local Walmart (Covington-Mandeville, Louisiana), I was told that the fabric department would be closed by April 1 of this year.

I also went into my Walmart this AM (Marinette, WI) and the girl told me that NOT ALL walmarts are discontuining the fabric dept. :lol: The store manager already knows which ones are closing at their store. Like in Green Bay, Wi. One of the two will stop with the fabric. I am sure happy here. The only place in town, except for the 2 Quilt shops to buy material is Walmart. Then we have to drive 50 miles to for others. I hope some of you ladies find out the same good news as I just did

At a new Super store in Cincinnati, I was told they would definitely close....soon. At another older store, I was told that the store manager says it will be good for at least another year. The dept mgr is asking people to phone Wal-Mart offices because there are few economical places to buy fabrics. I told her about the on-line petition. She had not heard about it.
I just checked and the signature total is over 22,000.

Elsewhere I have read that the petition is useless. We would like to think the power of the pen is worth the effort.

I was told to call 1-800-Wal-Mart and talk to a real person and let them know just how we feel !!!!!!

I do not understand why they are doing this! A lot of the ones that are closing have very litle if any competition! You would think that those would definitely be the ones to stay open!

If a fabric department isn't generating enough revenue it won't survive.

If it makes only a small to reasonable profit, they'll either keep it as is or pick one of a few different ways to reduce the service. The only departments that might survive as full service are those making big money for WalMart. I'll bet there aren't many of those because sewers and quilters aren't a big enough segment of the market population.

We don't count at all in most WalMarkets, and not much in others. Simple as that.

:x

They arne't big on customer svc around here at all, the customer is treated as a nuisance or an inconvenience. They have to stop chatting with coworkers to check you out or help you. The ones in the western part of NC are great--very nice, friendly and helpful, but not in Raleigh :?

Wal-Mart will obey the bottom line, for sure, whether there is competition or not, or 20 million signatures.

I hate to say "I read somewhere," and not be able to give chapter and verse, but I remember reading recently that Wal-Mart wants to generate $400 income per square foot of store. No time was mentioned--$400 per year? week? month? Whatever the time frame, it's a lot of moolah, and as long as I've been buying from Wal-Mart, I haven't paid yet for a square foot.

I see fewer quilts in my future if I must buy on-line, at JoAnn's, or a LQS if one happens to pop up within driving range.

How is a buyers' club organized and funded? Buying by the bolt and parceling it out to members--would it work? Are there any in existence now?

Well, we are a creative bunch, so we'll find a way, just as our forebears did.

We quilters tend to wander along the Drunkard's Path, I think. We've been skewering the Evil Empire (aka WalMart) throughout 2 or 3 different topic threads.

Same with the general topics of printing on fabric, ideas for fabric co-ops and fabric/block/pattern swaps - and lots of other topics, I'm sure.

Poor ol' Admin has been "listening" for response to her idea about looking for online sellers who might give newsletter members a discount. Lots of requests and "like the idea" comments in other threads, but the main thread for it goes generally unanswered.

Anyhooooo ... that's me on the soapbox for too long.

Somebody shared this link under another topic:

http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/

I'm pretty cheap, but thought their prices compared very well to any other places I've looked at. More than at the EE, but 25 - 75% lower than the others for what looks like good stuff. And a huge selection. I found things there I've been hunting for in vain for ages now. (gotta check the budget before I cut loose, though. My dogs and cat are such pains. They insist I feed them once in a while. LOL)

If you haunt Joann's online sale pages you'll stumble across some decent prices once in a while, too. They had several nice looking fabrics for under $2 p/yard the other day.

If we keep hunting and sharing links to good prices; get a scrap/fabric/block/pattern swap going, I think we can save each other lots of money without having to actually send any to each other for group purchases.

I can't speak for anybody else, but if we each have something to spare the other can use, I'm not going to worry whether or not I paid more p-yard for what I send than the other person did for what I get. I'm sure the Big Quilter in the Sky will see that it all evens out in the end. :D

I'm 5 minutes from one EE fabric department (horribly downsized but still there) and about 45 from another. Between their bargain tables and the occassional miracle at hancock's or Joann's, I'm still grasping at straws of hope. LOL

Ok. I'm sorry. That was me back up on the box again. :oops:

Patrice, I think you are the co-ordinator for this project. You have a better idea of how to go about it than anyone else seems to. I'll throw in the "count me in" with an "I'll go along with whatever you all decide", and raise you a fat quarter!!

How about we all that are interested start on this quilt designed by one of our very own members, and order our fabrics however you think is best from the 'thousands of bolts' site http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/ or use what we have? Take pictures and whoever wins on the pic forum with a vote of members gets a fat quarter from each participant! Or something like that. :roll:

http://www.sewaquilt.com/index.html

Norah,
You tell her! lol lol I like both you and Patrice' idea. I don't have a whole lot (tongue in cheek) but I'll share all I have!

Sharon

I'm new to this board. Have been reading for the last week or so. Lots of good info.

I had heard our Walmart fabric dept was closing too along with lots of other people and everyone made that phone call to tell them how much we needed it. The petition thats going around via em is not going to work. Needless to say with the phone calls our fabric dept was saved. I depend on a lot of my motif prints from there, so am really happy.

Hi, Everyone.

This is Gloria from sewaquilt.com. I think Norah has a wonderfu idea. It's good timing, too, because I've been planning to add a "Student Quilts" page on my site. This gives me the fire under my feet to get it started.

There is one other thing I'd like to mention. I'm all for saving money on fabric, but you have to be careful what you buy. Walmart doesn't have the best reputation for quality fabrics.

If you want your quilts to last, especially if you plan to hand them down to future generations, you want to use quality fabrics. I wrote two articles regarding this subject. One article explains how fabric is processed at the fabric mills and <A HREF="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gloria_Massard">why some stores sell quality fabrics and others don't.</A> The other article teaches you how to tell the difference between <A HREF="http://www.sewaquilt.com/quilting-fabrics.html">quality fabrics and cheap fabrics.</A>

Anyway, if everyone decides to make the quilt sampler, I'll be available for questions, and I'll post your photos when you're finished. Sound good? Let me know , Ladies.

Gloria, I agree about the quality of your fabric. If I'm doing a special quilt or bigger project, I will definitely choose my fabrics well. But for alot of the items I do,(I sell my quilt items), these fabrics work just fine. Plus living where I do, I don't have much of a choice. Our Joanns and quilt shops do not carry the types of fabrics I need for some of my items. THanks for the info. Tricia

I've been following along with the comments about wallmart and fabric and then fabric quality. I don't shop wallmart simply because it's over an hours drive on mountain roads to get to one. Not worth it! But I've been biting my tongue about the comments being made about quality of fabric. I can't stand it any more!

Yes, we should be able to make our quilts out of wonderful, good quality fabrics BUT that's not always going happen. Fabric is no longer the 5 yards for one dollar that I grew up with. (OH, why didn't we collect fabric then?) Anyway, on to my 'rant'. Think about our 'fore-mothers' and what they quilted with. Do you think they actually went to the fabric store and bought new quality fabric? Not very likely. Money was even more dear in those bygone days. They used fabric from worn out clothes, scraps from where ever else they could find them. And those quilts have lasted and been handed down for generations. Yes, some of the fabrics have worn out but for many, many reasons.

My point is, use the fabric you can afford. Let NO one say you should only use 'quality' fabric. It's all quality fabric! Just different qualities!!! :o)) and by all means, never stop quilting. It's just too much fun.

I'm not really into making heirlooms. I'm entertaining myself and tell my daughters to please use those quilts. I think it's rather insulting for them to take a quilt and hide it away in a cupboard. Get them out, use them up! I promise I'll make more!!! :D

AMEN !!!!!!

"I think it's rather insulting for them to take a quilt and hide it away in a cupboard. Get them out, use them up! I promise I'll make more!!! :D [/quote]

Yvonne, they used feed sacks, washed, bleached, and rags. I used to see them on the beds of my relatives when I visited. I loved them much more because without the signature block, they could tell me who made each one. They were beautiful and some are still around with different family members. They still aren't hidden away.

I SO appreaciate your "rant" and I for one totally agree. I tell my kids, grandkids, and friends....if you don't use it, I won't make you anymore. I mean it!

The only thing I don't like to use is a blend of poly-cotten. They are hard to get to cut right. But I use old dresses, old jeans, anything I can get my hands on and no one has ever refused one of my quilts, afghans, anything.

Off my soapbox now, too.
Sharon

I'm with you, Yvonne. I began quilting with worn out clothing, and may end up the same way. I construct quilts with an eye to laundering, and swatches go with a quilt if it's given away, so it can be mended.

And yes, I do yearn for the day when a watercolor or stained-glass quilt is within reach, but it won't be soon. Although... that link to Thousands of Bolts might bring that day closer.

Until then, I'll scrap with whatever comes my way. Too much fun not to, blooming where I'm planted. :D

Hoarah for Yvonne. I can remember my Grandmother could hardly wait for the chickins to finish their feed so she could have the sack to make something from it.Be it clothes or quilt tops.

Yea to everyone who agreed with me!! I still have my baby quilt that my grandmother made for me out of old dresses that she used to wear.
I think Walmart carries great fabric and I agree about the cotton poly blend. I don't buy that because of the stretching problem. But when you live in a place where you don't have much of a choice for where you buy fabric, Walmart is a great venue.

So to all of you that want to save your craft dept., CALL!!! All I'm saying is that it worked for our store.

Tricia

I went to my local Wal-mart yesterday, and spoke to the clerk in the fabric dept. She said they hadn't heard anything about shutting down fabrics, but from the amount of bolts on the shelves, it doesn't look good. Lots of bare spots and not much spring and summer fabric. I signed the petition, guess I will call too just to make my point. Not looking forward to having to drive 30 miles for quilting supplies, expecially since sometimes I get an uncontrollable urge to touch fabric, but will do what I have to so I can keep quilting. I went to thousandsofbolts.com, and it looks promising. Haven't had a chance to check other websites. This is very upsetting, because before Walmart came to town, we had a full-service fabric store and sewing machine sales and repair, and a cross-stitch store. Now they are both gone, and the cross-stitch section at Walmart is mighty slim pickins. I already travel 25 miles when I want different cross-stitch fabric, and again it's not always convenient when that bug bites me. Just frustrating.

Julie, you'll find that the clerks don't know anything about whats going on. Walmart is keeping everything hush-hush about whether they are closing that dept or not. Its really kind of weird. All of our clerks were offered different positions in the store and kind of figured it out.

About the selection of fabric, our walmart just started rec'g some new bolts, but it was slim pickings for a few months. Plus our Joanns doesn't have a big selection. They don't know whats going on either with why there is no fabric coming in.

Joanns had a big clearance sale last weekend where all of their clearance fabrics were just a dollar a yard. Boy did I get alot!!!!!! It was only 1 day and the manager let me know. Got some great deals.

Great that you caught that sale at JoAnns. I don't make it to ours often enough to get the scoop on inside sales, but I do get their flyers. I need to get some fabric to make a quilt for my 3 year old grandon. Patrick loves construction vehicles. He can tell me the names of all of them and what they do. So I thought it would be fun to make him a quilt with that theme. His favorite color is purple though, and I don't see many purple excavators! I did get some fabric at Walmart for other projects so the trip wasn't a total waste. The clerk did tell me that customers have told her before that the department is closing, but you're right, she didn't know anything about it. As she pointed out, we are a 4-H county, so it would be mean of Walmart to do away with fabrics.

Well, the manager of Joanns and I have been friends for years, plus I set up a kiosk booth with my quilt stuff at our mall every Sat. and our joanns is in the mall. So yea, I'm lucky in that way. Plus the clerks at walmart are some of my customers, so always get the inside scoop at whats going on.

Tricia

If our local WM fabric department goes away, I think I'll miss the women who work there more than the fabric - and that's a lot. No two of them fold up my purchases in the same way. Lots of different personalities - all nice. When I went to buy my latest machine, she opened the box for me - and cut open the plastice wrapper around the manual - just so I could verify something before lugging it home. Luckily, I found what I was looking for so I bought it as planned and she didn't risk getting in trouble just to help me out. :-)

Patrice, you're so right. The clerks are so nice, and always so interested in what I'm making. I had the same experience, when I bought a sewing machine for my daughter-in-law, the clerk was so helpful. Since Michelle was new to sewing, I wanted a basic, easy to understand machine, and she helped me find just what I wanted. The clerks help not only me, but I have seen them help find coordinating fabric, etc. for other customers. At the same time, these ladies are expected to help out in other departments also. I will truly miss them.

yes yes yes I agree with you all. We have 2 walmarts , one definaterly plans to close out fabric w/in the year I guess that applies to both. And I also heard a rumor that JoAnnes plans to close. I don't know if this means just the one here. But if they do Guess my options will become quite limited. I.e. quilt shops that charge a minimum of $7.00 pr yd. or the old second-hand store to scrounge for used fabric. Which I am not ashamed of doing :wink: Like one of you ladies pointed out our grandmas and theirs before originally used pre-used. I find some amazing fabric there actually. but, the problem comes when a specific need for quantity , color, or pattern arises. As well as time. (like I need it now)! So I would definately be more and more interested in a co-op situation. I only recently became internet connected so haven't had much time to browse see what is available. My intention is to sell my quilts which may be subject to some type of content law's I.e. new materials! I have not researched this area yet.

The three most reasonable sites recommended so far have been:

Hancock fabrics main website
( http://www.hancockfabrics.com/index.jsp ) - check the clearance stuff first
Joann ( http://joann.com/ ) - again, start in the clearance selection
http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/ where their regular prices are lower than the sale prices on every other site I've seen except the 2 above.

I, too, have been a captive customer of WalMart. Our department has been drastically cut. thanks to the person who found the thousands site, I finally feel less trapped by my income.

:-)

yea I plan to amass great quantities of yard goods brfore they do shut down, but I'm definatly going to research some on line sources as well. Thanks for the reply

our Walmart is closing their fabric section March 1 they will keep other craft items. it is just the items that have to be cut that will be gone. notions will be kept. I am fortunate that I have quilts shops in my area that I support . I don't need walmart. walmart has done a lot of damage to our community.

ladies, keep your eyes open at any closeout and salvege stores in your area. Here we have Hudsons Treasure Hunt and Hudsons Dirt Cheap. On 2 occasions I have found craft departments from Wal-marts in the stores VERY cheap. When they close they have to do something with the stuff, so keep an eye out in your area.

Mary in Louisiana

Hi Julie - about those purple excavators....I read on www.thequiltshow.com boards about one quilter who wanted to make a "farm" quilt, but could only find red tractors & the 'giftee' was a dyed-in-the-wool John Deere man! So she found the right color fabric paint & changed 'em to green! Maybe that would work for yours :wink:

I was at our Walmart last night, they got in one and two dollar Quilt fabric, so I picked up some, Not as much as I would like to get , but I'm happy. Just keep buying when they have it. Our store said they would have pre cut packages of fabric........if they do I hope it is reasonable.
anyone seen it this way?

I haven't seen any like that, Ruth but that is how I was told our walmart's fabric would be...not sure that I would want to buy it prepackaged where you can't actually look at it though.
Gay

I can't find the post with the link the the web-site with the petition to sign. I signed it already, but I would like to find it again to have some more signatures put on it.
where is it at? anyone? tia!

It might be under "Let's Talk About WalMart"

last seen on page 2 of the Main topic list

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/savefab/

now over 23,000 signatures

I went to our Super Wal Mart today for something totally different and found 3 1/2 yds of flannel for $2.00 a yd. I know some of their other stuff is "iffy" but the flannel has always been pretty good. Its great for the backing on baby quilts which is what I love to do. The rest of it was full price but this was the end of the bolt which didn't matter to me. I'll just add it to my stash for now. Can't ever have too much fabric! :D

Regarding the pre-packaged fabric, last summer I bought a package of fabric at Wal-mart for a baby quilt. I wasn't impressed with it. After I got it home, I learned it was very, very thin, almost see-through. I bought it because I needed a baby quilt quickly. The fabric was already co-ordinated so I just grabbed the package and bought. I think it was about $12-$15. Made a good size quilt, about crib size. I backed it with flannel for some substance. But I wouldn't buy it again. Much prefer the bolts of fabric, where I can feel it to see if it fits my needs.

i'm with you on the need to see and feel for myself. now that our WM has downsized, i've been driven to shopping online for fabric. nearest anything else is an hour away.

i don't worry much about ordering from Joann. but the "local" hancock carries everything from decent quality to junk. you'd have to be just as careful there as at WM - and pay higher prices. i'll give their online operation a shot at my business one of these days. i'm really hoping that when i get around to ordering from thousandsofbolts.com it turns out to be decent stuff. (haven't actually started a shopping cart there yet. they have sooooooooooo many things i want, i'm afraid i wouldn't stop. LOL)