I did a lot of reseaching today on why fabric prices are going up. The biggest thing is the dollar is week right now and doesn't have the buying power that it had last year. It is not just the cotton raising the prices. The loss of some of the manufactures in the United states closing there doors and relying on foreign manufactures. I just look at it as a glut pricing on the market forcing prices up and who knows what is going to come of it. The saying is what comes up must come down. Consumers like us are the ones who get stuck in the pocket book. Some how some way things need to balance out. If you want to search it out just put in cotton prices going up in a search....you will get a lot of info.

Thanks for sharing.

"The saying is what comes up must come down." Doesn't seem to work that way very often!

:thumbup: :thumbdown:

thanks for the information

there is only one reason the price of fabric keeps going up.

people keep right on paying the higher prices.

There are a lot of forces causing Cotton fabric to go up. The floods in Asia took out a lot of cotton crops, the cost of transpertation to get it here, and I'm sure that the falling dollar dosen't help.

Cotton not only affects fabric, unless you're using polyester, your batting will be more expensive as well.

As far as what goes up will come down, not likely to any extent, at least for a year or two.

The truth is fabric is going to cost stores like mine more to buy in the new year, and if we want to stay in business, we have to raise prices as well. Hopefully we can minimize the added expense. The more you continue to shop the LQS, the better chance we have of doing that. If quilters stop visiting LQS's they will either have to raise prices or go out of business.

Lanny

Sure wish that'd happen with gas prices! We're up to $3 a gallon here and recent reports say by 2012 it's gonna be $5 gallon. I sure hope "they" are wrong about that :shock:

Basic economics...Supply and demand

LOL, the price of fabric has always been "up" in my house. My husband doesn't understand why us Quilters are sooooo addicted to our fabric. Luckily i've been finding treasure hunt finds at our second hand thrift stores which have caused my stocks to grow rather significantly, so I've been lucky to not have to buy very much from the craft/fabrics stores recently.

Explosive blessings, abundance and inspiration to you all!
- The Creative Seamstress

And I will be shopping my stash - because I refuse to pay over $6 a yard for fabric - notice I didn't say I wouldn't buy 8, 9 10 or 12 dollar fabric - I said I wouldn't pay over 6 dollars for it... because the 12 or 15 dollar fabric tomorrow was the 8 dollar fabric last week and the 5 dollar stuff a few years ago.
I got some nice stuff today on the year end mark-downs and it's probably all I'm going to be buying for a good long while - unless of course, all this talk of higher prices is just that - talk!

Sorry, JJs, it's not "just talk".

I'm looking right now at a 16% increase in the prices of Christmas 2011 fabrics over what the same (identical) fabric would have cost this year in 2010.

We would all LOVE to be able to buy wonderful fabrics next year for the same prices as we have in the past, but that's not going to happen. I just hope that the readers on the forum understand that it is not the fault of your LQS that the prices are going up. And that if anyone is hoping that your LQS can absorb the increase, while their other costs continue to rise (payroll, benefits, rent, utilities)... you may find that in a year or two, with broken hearts and empty pockets, they close their doors for good.

It won't happen immediately... but 2011 is going to be a very trying year in the fabric business.

Well, if folks have good jobs and can afford to absorb a huge increase in fabric costs - good for them...
or if, unlike this little ( :mrgreen: ) old lady, they have unlimited funds in retirement and can run to the LQS and buy buy buy just because they want it - good for them....

We are on the proverbial 'fixed income' - and according to odumdum there's no cost of living increase again this year (I'm sure you haven't noticed that the cost of groceries is going up and up and the SIZE of containers is going down and down - but you didn't notice so it doesn't count), and in the last week or so we are being warned that the price of gas is going sky high ... so even less 'disposable' income to spend on fun things - like quilting...
So will 'make do' with what I have - but be assured that I saw this coming and I have a HUGE stash, AND batting, AND backing, AND thread... so I'm good....
This discussion has been going on for almost this whole year, so nobody can say they didn't see it coming....

I love this board so much...it's a wonderful place to share ideas and information and friendship. However, in JJ's post I detect sarcasm and disrespect which I feel has no place on this board. Please, let's keep it friendly and respectful so all can enjoy this board as a "safe place" without political rancor. There is enough of that on the outside world.

Thank you for expressing so well what I also felt on reading that post.

The Canadian and US dollar are on a par with one another - that doesn't happen very often.

Here's what I'm *hoping* will happen for next year.

For anyone who's on a fixed income - and for those of us who never planted a money tree in our backyards - who still want to enjoy our hobby:

If we're lucky enough to have the same amount to spend on fabric as last year, instead of buying 10 yards of fabric, we'll have to settle for 8 and use 2 from our stash.

That way, we still get to do what we love :-) not spend more doing it :-) not compromise on the quality of the fabric we're using :-) and reduce our stockpile a bit too. :-)

And if we find some good sales along the way, that's an added bonus.

2011 can still be a good year for quilting if we buy thoughtfully and keep a positive attitude. Right?

I think you're onto something, Favorite Fabrics! We can still have good quality fabrics, use up our stashes and make great quilts. It's all about the attitude! Yea for you!!!

No situation, either good or bad, lasts forever. And most of the things going on in our worlds we cannot control or change, anyway. But we *can* take charge of our outlook and our perspective. And choose to be happy, and enjoy the good things we have within our reach. :-)

I second that motion. Please stay friendly.

I try to shop locally and my LQS has good prices. Average price is 8.00 yd. We live in a small town so I try to support my local merchants. That said I also try to pay as little as I can on alot of other quilt related items. I keep a running list of supplies and shop JoAnne's at their twice yearly sale. I just replaced my large cutting mat at 40% off. Great time to buy rotary blades also. I also sharpen my rotary blades. I plan my Xmas projects so I can shop JoAnne's June sale. If my LQS doesn't have a fabric I am looking for I shop quiltshops.com and list the price and shipping. It doesn't take that long and I usually save at least 5.00. If you refuse to pay the price - there is a way around it. It sometimes takes patience and planning.

I have to say that I have always been a careful fabric shopper. I try to invest in good fabric and if I have to pick up fewer yards, that's ok. I'll get what I can. I don't have a huge stash, but I probably have more than I really need. I try to shop mostly in local stores so that the jobs they provide don't go away. And I try to be a "glass half full" kind of person. There's always something to rejoice about.

I think i will be doing some scrappy quilts to use from my stash and still be able to purchase a few New beautiful fq from my local quilt shops. Maybe muslin backings, to save money for new stuff.

We are over $3 per gallon out West! Costs us more to get to the fabric and then pay higher fabric prices. Ouch!

I read an editorial in the NY Times that the prices of all commodities are going up (cotton being just one). More people in the world, countries with big populations like India and China becoming more prosperous, and therefore more demand. As a student of economics, I know it's all about supply and demand. More demand, higher prices. It's a fact of life, and not just for quilters.

This is a tough year for many folks, but I like the positive comments I've read here! More than fabric is involved- everything in life is a matter of balance. Think about what you want, shop carefully ( and yes, I support my LQSs as much as possible), and don't think you have to "have it all".

I have to disagree and defend JJ for pointing out a simple truth. If her words were 'political rancor' or 'disrespect', I missed it. She did not blame anyone. If the people I noticed at the Houston International Quilt Festival last month are representative of quilters, there are an awful lot of us who are retirement age. It is a fact that Americans who rely on Social Security and/or government pensions did not receive a cost-of-living increase in spite of rising prices, therefore their spending power is going down. Shops that need these customers will absolutely be feeling the pinch that results when those who want to buy their goods are no longer able to afford them. The shop owners are caught between the rising wholesale prices and the declining income of many of their customers. We all need to support our LQS's as much as we can if we want to see them stay in business.

Thank you, Thank you... another AZ resident

Thanks for that!

I live where they grow cotton and the farmers are happy. They received a much larger price per bale this year.

You need to try living in Canada where we would like to support our local stores but our fabric is $18/meter which is only three inches bigger than a yard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't begrudge a farmer a good price on his crop! I just hope all Americans "buy American" every chance they get.

I'll gladly pay a little more to make sure my neighbor or my fellow citizens have a way of earning a decent living. I have friends who have been laid off by 6 & 7 cotton mills (losing all their company retirement funds each time) just because their jobs were sent overseas.

Roger Milliken (Mr. Textile) died yesterday, and he was a great patriot. When one of his South Carolina mills was closed and eventually demolished, he ordered an upper story wall knocked out of the mill, then ordered fork lift drivers to carry all the machinery to the edge and drop it over the side, utterly destroying them. He refused to sell his machinery at bargain prices to the Asian competitors who were crippling the American textile industry and taking decent jobs from American workers.

See? if you have stocked your stash good like I always advise everyone lol, you can outwait the prices until they get better. I dont' need fabric for a long long time....hee hee....

I remember back abt 1974 there was a sugar price hike, We women stopped buying sugar, do you remember what happened, sugar went WAY down. Then we had the gas war, put a lot of little shops of of business. I find this very dad. The big guy keeps getting bigger.... I started shopping goodwill's and such buy cotton shirts and demin. I do not need to produce a beauty, I quilt for fun and what I make I see beauty in. It seems to be pleasing to my family. In SSA I ended up with a $13.00 raise per month. hmmmm If I'm real thrify, I may be able to buy sonething special.... Prayerfully more people will start car pooling, and goping back to the barter system, helping one another. They survived years ago because of looking out for a neighbor, bringing in a boarder, many ways to help.... I've seen people who let their homes go, because of not wanting to rent a room in their home. Now it's gone. I'm glad I grew up the way I did, It taught me to think how to help myself and others if I could. did I say a mouth full? whew. :) Blessins to all.

I went a few years without sewing, and some time I back I was buying coats and clarks thread, BUT it is no longer made in the states. I dropped it fast. When I bought a car two years ago, the first thing I said, show me american made ONLY. or your wasting our time. OH boy , I think I need to find another room... you all got me going lol.... hugs. :)

Or living in Australia where good quality can be $A24. I have just heard on the news that the severe floods we are experiencing at the moment have destroyed a lot of the cotton crops.

Wishing you all a blessed and healthy new year. God bless each of you and your families, especially our soldiers who are so far away. For their families also. I enjoy coming in and listen to you all.

Since America is "owned" by foreign countries we pay what ever they tell us to pay...it is disgusting! Seems to me that if we "help" other countries out they should say thanks by trading oil, fabric or something they have for our generosity. I love to give but at some point the USA should say enough is enough. We need our own country to get tough...prices of cotton going up...BARF. So glad I have a wonderful stash!

God bless America.

who do you agree with??? Me? little ole me :lol: my husband wants you to be more specific :lol: