I just wanted to give you a glimpse of my local fabric shop here in Poland. This is Otwock, Poland. The lady who owns it has relatives in Chicago. This is a typical fabric shop here. I have 3 shelves of cottons to choose from and I'll make sure I label that picture.

These shops are individually owned and operated. This shop has an owner and one employee.

How interesting! What does the sign say?

Fabrics. And the prices--just divide by 3 and you get approximate dollar prices for one meter (a little more than a yard).

I wanted to add that the cottons are not "high quality LQS fabrics". They are a bit on the coarse and stiff side.

I would love to visit there. How do the fabric prices compare to US dollar? We visited the Czech Republic a few years ago, before I started quilting, so I never saw any fabric stores. (I wouldn't have been able to read the signs anyway). The beer was good.

Thank you for the pictures and sharing your story! A wish for you to get a better selection!

When you see the number signs on the fabrics, just divide by 3 and you get approximately dollars for one meter (approximately one yard).

I used the used clothing stores and look for cottons imported from western europe in the form of bedding and curtains.

Sounds probable.

You all don't need to feel sorry for me. It keeps my spending under control. :) I have more fabric at the moment than I know what to do with because I do go and look regularly at the used clothing stores and every time we go back to the states, I come back with more fabric.

Some of our supporting churches have given us quilts to give away so that I have to make them myself. I do tend to use the solid-colored cottons you see in the pictures above for bindings if the fabric in the quilt is particularly wild.

A few days ago I started a thread called recipients of charity quilts that shows what some of the quilts I've given away look like and the faces of the ladies who have taken them.

I do have plenty of fabric now, but it isn't all the gorgeous stuff you all are using. But in the end, it makes up into pretty quilts (not gorgeous ones) that are pretty enough to give away.

Sorry to say, But it looks like your little quilt shop has more fabric then most walmarts these days. Thanks for sharing.

It's not a local quilt shop. It's a local fabric shop. Most people here have never heard of quilting.

I was so sad to return to the states and find the fabric from walmart disappearing...

Interesting. I love shopping for fabrics in other countries but I've never been to Poland yet.
Are the fabrics as wide as here?
Some of the bolts looked a little 'short' to me.

Thanks for sharing.

Most of them are 60 wide. At least the cottons are. I've not bought much else, so I don't know.

Thanks for sharing, It is so great to see other parts of the world. I guess we are lucky and should not complain.

We sure are lucky here. We don't realize how blessed we are in the US until we realize how different things are in some other places. Tanks for sharing, I love to learn about outher parts of the world.

Great pics. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for posting. I see some lovely fabrics in your shop there.

Neat pictures! I have never been out of the country, so I sure enjoy a glimpse into your fabric stores there!

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. :)

I just love your Avatar picture :thumbup: I hope you visit often or have visitors.

Well, our children are getting older, and in the next 5-10 years between college graduations and weddings, it will probably be often (we have 5 kids). our oldest is 22 and youngest is 13.

I've got lots of fabric now. Believe me. I'm one of the lucky ones who found a box of fabric for $20 at a flea market...actually it was a trunk. Lots and lots of fabric. I think about 40-50 lbs. of it, in fact. I brought it all over here. Plus that and stuff I buy here and have had churches donate in the past...I'm set for a long, long time, except for specific things I want.

However, I did see some beautiful fabric with cats and quilts in it--I'd like to order some of that to make something beautiful for me...while it's still available.

I wanted to mention that the off whites in the avatar is mostly from the used clothing stores--they are backings off of curtains that are lined or just sheets I found--I looked for all cotton, but some of it is a blend.

However, the "northern" fabrics are all from the states. I ordered them over a period of a couple of years off of Ebay and had anyone who came over (and asked me if there was anything they could bring me), to bring some fabric of animals from the north--whatever they could find locally...That particular time we had lots of visitors. Haven't had many lately at all.

Hmmmmmm some of the non cotton fabrics look very interesting, i think there would be a crazy quilt in my future if i shopped there.

very interesting

Now this is the stuff we should have been taught in histroy class....much more interesting....thanks...:)

We visited Slovakia 10 years ago and I was determined to buy the lace curtains that they have. Well my distant cousins found me a store that sold the faric. The store keeper probably thought I was nuts but we had a wonderful time shopping and choosing. I can't wait to go back! I wasn't quilting at the time so I didn't look for cottons.

This past month we went to Mexico and did find a fabric store there also. Their fabrics was more fancy, rayon types. We did find some cottons though. The funny thing was on the sign out front is said MODA. They had not idea what MODa was!

As we all know the fun of fabric shopping is the hunt!

i am amazed at the fancy fabrics and curious as to what type of events you would wear them to? even here in the US, those types of fabrics would be deemed "special occasion" fabrics & rarely worn...very interesting, thank you for sharing your insight.

Thanks. Lovely local fabric shop.

WOW !!!! We are really spoiled here !!!!