Wide backing, Oh my gosh
 

Just got back from fabricland. They have a new supply of wide backing only $38.00 a meter (39 inches). Even with our awful exchange rate it is cheaper to buy on-line.

Oh my that is an awful lot to pay per meter. You must really stock up during the winter months in Yuma.

There is a shop in Sydney, MT (near the eastern border) called Flip-Side Fabrics that specializes in extra wide fabrics for quilt backs. I've never been there, but they have an ad in my NeedleTravel book.

I buy it at Joanns with a coupon for $8.99 yd (36")
I wouldn't be able to quilt with those prices.

yeahhh and the last time I bought backing fabric there it was full of flaws ...good thing I noticed before I took it home...

I have been using sheets / often can find good ones at the thrift stores..........the other thing I do is what a lot of us do, just make the size by putting regular fabric together with the seams..........I just cant see paying those high prices for the back of the quilt.............just one opinion here........

I loathe that place with a burning passion.

They want $11.49 for 5 Schmetz machine needles. That's just cracked. But I do so love some of the women that work there; so helpful and lovely. (Others....not so much.)

So expensive! Here, this is the only store that I sometimes find what I need" no wonder I shop mostly online!

In Ontario, Fabricland is having a Members' 50% sale on Nov. 21. I must say that I am becoming more and more disenchanted with my local store. The prices are skyrocketing and there is a distinct lack of variety of fabric.

Check out Backside Fabrics online. I have found them to be very reasonable and they will send you samples for free or a very nominal charge.

Connecting Threads will ship free to Canada with a min. $75 order. Seems this would be the cheapest way to buy fabric, especially their clearance fabric where many are under $3 a yard.

I would check with stores that will ship to Canada and do some serious shopping on the day after our Thanksgiving holiday and stock up during the sales. Already making my list and checking it twice!

Check out Bib and Tucker in Victoria. She often has the wide backing on sale. The website is the place to sign up for the newsletter. Be mindful of the hours, she is not open on Friday.

Each month she has a colourway or theme fabric on sale, the more you buy the more you save.

Also if you have a fabricland membership, you will never pay full price on any fabric.

I don't know if they carry wide backings but this online Canadian shop seems to have reasonable prices and free Canadian shipping. http://www.quincysquilting.com/shop/Fabric.htm

I do too, use and always have used "sheets". Hand-quilting is my thing and sheets can either be white, or colored, depending on my mood. They hold up very well, and can be washed as needed.

I am in Southern Ontario and buy many of my wide backings at the Mennonite shops in the Elmira area. They range anywhere in price from $12-$24 a metre which is good for Canada. I also use sheets which I pick up from Len's Mills (Guelph or Hawksville) and piece some of my older yardage.

I know some shudder at the use of sheets for backing but I have used them sometimes and have always had good results. I just completed two baby quilts for Santa's Helpers and used a soft mint green and a soft yellow sheet from a local thrift store to back them - they are so nice and soft. I don't know why using sheets for backing is frowned upon but they work for me and with the cost of fabric going up up up, I think I will keep using sheets for some quilts.

Creative Sisters in Kitchener has a good selection of wide backs at good prices. Such a nice shop.

Take a look at Hamels Fabrics in Chilliwack BC. http://www.hamelsfabrics.com/ They have a decent selection of wide backings, ranging from about $16-25 a metre. Every first weekend of the month they have a 20% off yardage sale, you can sign up for their email newsletter. I've stopped ordering from the US as well, a magazine subscription I recently renewed the price was converted at 1.37 on my credit card.

I have a love hate with our local Fabricland as well. If items aren't on sale the local quilt shop is cheaper.

I sent you a PM Quilter1 but it says your box is too full so I guess it's time to do a little purging!

Wow... that is really a huge cost! What is a normal charge per meter for regular, say 44 in WOF fabric?

There is a quilting fabric website.....based in Ft McMurray that has great selections of wide backs and lots of canadiana type fabrics. Free shipping at $150.00, pretty good prices
http://www.clotheslinequiltsandhandi...abric_c_8.html

Just amazed at what our Canadian members pay. Bless you!

I would think a bed sheet would be less expensive than that. What an outrageous price. Is there a terrible amount of shipping to your fabricland store?

I experimented this year - no Fabricland membership and I would do all my shopping at the LQS or elsewhere if I needed something the LQS didn't have. I went into FL once - I needed some bra hardware and the other shop I could have used was out of stock. All in all - I haven't felt a void.

My new policy is to not reward bad behaviour and the way that FL jacks prices up so they can provide members with "deals" and "sales" is "screaming temper tantrum in the toy aisle" bad behaviour. That's 1950s car sales, not a business who wants to keep customers in the Internet age. My wide backs come from the LQS or the studio where my LA came from - I never pay more than $25 (retail) per meter and usually $20 or under.

Another vote for the on-line shop, thousandsofbolts.com. Their backing is about $15 US per yard, and I know they ship to Canada. Hundreds of selections of backing and great customer service.

I live near the amish and they sell it for $6.25 a yard for 108 " wide.--can,t beat the price I think.

[QUOTE=ArchaicArcane;7374040]I experimented this year - no Fabricland membership and I would do all my shopping at the LQS or elsewhere if I needed something the LQS didn't have.

I haven't had a fabricland membership for the last two years, same as you I can find what I want at a LQS or other fabric stores for a comparable price. Fabricana in BC has 50% off notions priced up to $15 a few times a year and no membership fees. I don't appreciate being forced to pay for a membership just to get a reasonable price on fabric and I've got to read the selvedges to make sure I'm getting decent quality, last time I went it seemed there were more fabrics "made exclusively for fabricland" than before.

The thing that gets me is that on the average - the LQS isn't more expensive or if they are, they're not much more for comparable products despite the buying and negotiation power that FL must have. The 24 x 36 Olfa mat that FL sells for $129.99 when it's not on sale and then on "sale" for 50% off ($65) is $69.99 at my LQS which is sometimes a little higher than the shops in the city. The added benefit of buying at the LQS too is that I'm supporting a local business - even if I do pay the extra $5 on the mat. The batik I bought today at that same shop was $16/m - which is only $2 more than the batiks FL has on "Sale" for 50% off this week for $14 - and I had a way better selection to choose from. Where FL has one 4' shelf, sometimes 2 of batiks, the one quilt shop has probably 15x that and the ones in the city I use probably have double to triple what the closest shop has.

The other thing shopping elsewhere does is make me think about my purchases more. When the fabrics/notions are regular price, I don't want to horde as much. This is the first year (of 3) that my stash has actually dwindled by year end, rather than swelled. There's actually room in my cupboard right now!

I've been buying my mats and rotary cutters at Michaels when they have 50% off coupons, and even 40% off coupons are significant when the same mat is $80 regularly there. I also noticed recently that they had packaged batting - I think it was Hobbs 80/20 - so really, it's mostly fabric that one has to find a source for.

The last exclusive FL fabric I bought was a beige blender that was green in spots (I didn't see it when they were cutting it) and a really loose weave. It's all been used for practice sandwiches that become dog beds afterwards. I figure she's color blind and won't care. ;)