Thanks for sharing

thank you for sharing! my brother brought me fabric from africa, i haven't used it yet. it's thick and i think it's like batik, which i've never used yet. i wish when i visited dubai, hong kong and hawaii i had gone to the fabric stores, but that was the time i was taking a break from quilting. my next trip around i will!

Do u order fabric on line? Thanks so much for posting the pictures, it is very interesting!! Do u live in a smaller town or a city? Do u have longarm services there? or all hand quilting?

I'm curious also about your ability to order from U.S. online stores. I realize that you have shipping and taxes to pay, but it would give you better cottons and a much better choice.

Until reading this board, I hadn't realized how much difference there is for people in other parts of the world. Thanks for the wake-up call. I'll say a little prayer of thanks for our many blessings.

My son spent the spring and summer in Germany and Austria. He didn't take any clothes with him--just his tent and backpack. He shopped in thrift stores for clothes. Can you buy used clothes in thrift stores inexpensively and take them apart to use the fabric for quilting. That is what I have done here. Men's shirts and ladies dresses and skirts have a lot of fabric.

If I were to order fabric on line (like ebay), I have them sent to my mom and wait either til she sends a box over by boat or til someone comes over or we go back.

Just 3 miles from the Warsaw city limits. It's a smaller town. But all the fabric stores are this size...even in Warsaw. Shopping is a "hunting/gathering experience" for this kind of thing.

Longarm services? That is funny. No. :) People generally don't quilt here.

I did buy a Janome 7700 here in Nov. !! I was so pleased to see it--and cheaper than the prices that I saw in the states. I'm not sure why.

I have no problem buying things on line, but I do have a problem with people/companies shipping things over. If they want to charge me 100% customs, they will. That isn't much of a savings by the time you add it to the original cost plus international shipping. We are able to bring in about $45/day duty free into the country, but that is supposed to include shipping. So, we are better off just being patient and waiting til someone comes over from the states who can then bring it over in their suitcases. We are supposed to have at least 2 couples coming in March...so we'll see.

Do you have to order your cottons over the Internet?

Yes, this is exactly what I do, sometimes. I use all cotton/woven clothing that comes my way... and usually buy used curtains/bedding. This is mostly how I get my fabric anymore...I'll post a picture of something typical I can find. It is more or less the 'thrill of the hunt" when I go to these types of stores. I get excited about 100% cotton in nice weights and colors for potential use.

Thanks for your post and for letting us see a glimpse into your quilting life!

If I order cottons, I only have them shipped to my parents in FL where they wait for us to come back...or someone to come over and visit. I can't afford to be impatient. :)