this is the result of making ourselves dependent on other countries for products that we always produced here. i wonder if buying from china at high costs really is a savings when it put so many people here out of work and now they have to collect unemployment, go on welfare, need food stamps and health care?
it seems that what we saved in products we pay in taxes to support those programs for the needy. something to think about when we buy from china and turn our backs on people who need help feeding their families.

thanks for the info! Moda might be holding their prices steady but from what I've seen and read, the shops are still charging higher prices for Moda fabrics.

I just ordered some Laurel Burch fab from PM Quilting and it was only $8.50 a yd compared to others who (if they have it) are charging $9.00 to $9.50. So, not all companies are passing it on.

It all depends... if as a shop you have lower overhead, or live closer to Clothworks (who makes the Laurel Burch fabric) so that you pay less in shipping, or if your shop rent is lower, then you can price your goods a bit less.

I can tell you that the fabric manufacturers pretty much charge all their customers the same price. Maybe some of the "favorite" shops get a tiny discount of 25 cents / yard or so.

Be aware, though, that some shops charge a higher regular price, but then run sales or promotions. Other shops may not run sales as often but try to keep their everyday price lower.

As in everything, you have to shop around.

AMEN. We have out sourced so much to other countries we have cut our own noses off !!!

Thank-you for the informed update. I always value information from those closest to real issue. It is generous of you to share with all of us.

Thanks for sharing this information with us. I, for one, appreciate staying informed from the source.

Thanks for sharing with all of us!

Well, we probably *do* produce enough cotton crops to cover our own needs. The US is one of the world's top 3 producers of cotton (see this informative link: http://unctad.org/infocomm/anglais/cotton/market.htm)

However, we apparently do not do much of the processing of cotton anymore.

"Cotton consumption has shifted to developing countries mainly as a reflection of rising wage levels in developed countries. In the textile sector, labour accounts for about 1/6 of production costs. This means that raising labour costs eroded the competitive edge of developed countries, and contributed to the shifting of cotton processing to low-cost economies (most notably Asia and the Maghreb, but also Africa). "

If you followed the link above, you will not that China is now the world's largest producer of cotton. So it makes sense that they would also be the main producer of greige goods (unprinted cotton cloth) especially given their low labor costs.

So... what does this mean? While we occasionally find a company that says "our fabric is made from cotton grown in the USA" that's about as close to home as we can get. For quilting cottons, I think that Santee is the only plant that still prints in the US, and even so, the greige goods come from overseas.

What's a quilter to do? Well, you could do what I've tried to do: let the fabric manufacturers know that we at least would like our fabrics made from cotton that's grown in the US. I've spoken to people from several companies and have told them that it would be a good marketing edge, if they could do as Connecting Threads has done, and at least say that their fabric is from US-grown cotton. I don't know if they have been listening, but I've tried to tell them it would be good for their business.

My voice alone is small. Perhaps more voices together would be persuasive!

When I was a small child, my Dad & Uncle grew cotton crops on their parents land in Randolph Co, AL, on the border with GA. This was in the late 40s, early 50s. My dad had to take a Government job 50 miles away in order to feed three children & his wife, & we moved 50 miles away; however, my uncle (his brother) stayed on the farm & continued to grow cotton, but about 1954, the Government took over & started paying farmers not to grow cotton. My Mother's parents & siblings also moved close to us 50 miles away & my Grandfather worked for the Government also. The migration of farmers had already started to the Northern Car Mfg States, so I remember thinking what is going on. After the Government quit paying farmers to grow cotton, my Uncle went to work in a factory in GA, at a factory where they produce copper tubing & wiring. Back then, folks worked at whatever jobs they could get. Government workers had Health Insurance, Blue/Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama, so that's the first time our family had it.

Here we are 56 years later, but many have lost jobs, health insurance, and other benefits they had at their jobs. I have only seen two or three cotton crops in the field in the last 15 years & that was in North AL. I'm sure there are many who would go to farming if the Government would start programs to help them obtain loans to buy farming tractors & equipment to get started again. We are several generations away from the 50s, but there are some older folks still around who could instruct the younger workers how to grow cotton, corn, gardens and other crops. Times change but I am curious if this could happen and bring back our equipment from overseas to reopen our garment factories that were taken away here in NE Ala where I live now. My DIL low her job in a sports clothing mfg shop and many in & around Ft. Payne, AL lost jobs at Sock Mills. Ft. Payne was the Worlds leading sock producer for years until they bought up all the machines & sent the all overseas. Now you have a lot of folks around that area still unemployed.

My feeling is America needs to supply to America before they supply the rest of the world. Where is there a politician that can appoint folks to get out & travel & see what needs to happen to get America running again. We always need military facilities to train our soldiers, plus factories to make supplies for the military. There has been cuts of military bases and I for one feel that is not right. If we have to destroy America to build up other countries, who is on the front line taking note of this.

I'll do without factory produced fabric until folks get their heads out of the sand & push for our jobs to come back to our shores. I'll use what fabric I have & what I can obtain from thrift stores & the like, or placed the have fabric outlets. I watch the fashion runway shows & shows that sell high priced clothes, but we can get by with what we have now until the prices can come down at sales. Folks could make their own clothes like they once did if we had fabric we could afford and classes to teach the ones who don't know how to sew. Our society has become so fashion & idol conscious it makes me sick.