Today quilting is a 3.76 billion dollar industry. Think about the quilt as a necessity, made from scraps and by hand. Really hard work. Today we have disposable income and are willing to spend thousands of dollars for sewing machines. Not to mention all the other paraphernalia associated with quilting. Prices in LQS are, in my opinion, prohibitive. Sites like $5 Bucks A Yard, etc. keep the cost of fabric in line. As long as there are people willing to spend thousands on "stuff" for quilting, including tens of thousands of dollars for machines, the market thrives, salespeople thrive on commissions and quilts get made.