Just received my weekly sales and wonder if you, like me have noticed how the price of fabrics has exploded. The sale this morning is for 50% off printed 100% cotton and the sale price is $7.99- $8.49 per meter so regular price is $15.00 to $17.00.

Yes. I've noticed and it's depressing. I'm lucky to live in an area where there are Hobby Lobby, Joanne, and Hancock stores reasonably close. The good thing about these stores is they often offer coupons. Get on mailing lists (snail and email) and you can sometimes save as much as 50 percent (one item only-- sorry!) on the regular price.

I never buy fabric at regular price. I get it on sale or use a coupon. And by the way, I've seen fabric and sewing stuff at some Walmart stores again.

I also recycle old and new items. Sheets are often cheaper than buying fabric by the yard. And it's fun to know you're saving money while reusing something that would have been thrown away or finding a new way to use it.

It's exciting for me to see many young women beginning to sew again. I bought my 12 year old granddaughter her first sewing machine and she's won a few prizes with some of the things she's made. She's become as bad as me about loving everything in the sewing and craft stores! It's fun to shop with her, but bad on my budget!

My hubby always use to tell me, he bought tools and hunting toys because they would increase in value over time. Ha....now I can say the same thing about my fabric stash.

we have 4 quilt shops in Tucson and the cost is going up each time I go in. Just hope that I can keep it local

1 comment

by robinbird 19 Apr 2012

Agree prices have risen along with gas costs& maybe that cost has been passed along to us as customers. Just a possibility.

I buy clearance and I get funny looks, Now who is smiling! Me! I still need more fabric though! LLDS!

It must be wonderful to have 3 fabric shops withing a 25km radius!

Fabric stores have been dying slowly for years now. Few young people don't learn to sew, so they are no new customers to replace those of us older customers. That's why they sell so many craft items as well as fabric. I haven't bought fabric lately in a few months, but I expect they have to charge a bunch at the store because they have to support their overhead of having a store. I'm usually looking for a fabric that is so specific that I could go to every store in town and not find it, so on-line is where I wind up buying.

I have noticed prices are up and not expected to go down. A lady was in the store the other day had asked where she could find some cheap cotton for the Girl Scout to make pillows? The lady at the store cutting said There is NO cheap cotton. She was rude. I helped her out by giving her my coupon. Peg

1 comment

by corinney 18 Apr 2012

That was nice of you Peg. I hope it didn't shy her from buying fabric again.

You are not alone.

Yes, I know what you mean, here too the fabric has gotten higher in prices too...I try to get some when on sale because we too only have a couple of fabric places and some Wal Marts started carrying fabric again...when I first moved here there were a few more places, but they closed down ;(

3 comments

by michemb 17 Apr 2012

I personally do not shop at Walmart but have heard that they do not sell fabric here anymore. That tells ya that it is not a good sign for the future of our craft. Glad to see you back Cecilia, hope things are better,
hugs
Michelle

by joann13100 18 Apr 2012

What's weird is some Walmarts sell fabric, and some don't sell any. It used to be a good place to buy stablilizers, but they got rid of carrying that too.

by robinbird 19 Apr 2012

Did you ever consider from where Walmart's source gets their fabrics? Seems asian countries such as China& Korea are used more now.

Yes. I have noticed the dwindling of the stores, and also the quality of cloths goods. now I look for old clothing in good shape to cut up! Another crafter put me on to this idea. She scouts the resale shops just for these kinds of "fabric". It is economical too!

2 comments

by drro 17 Apr 2012

You can label the items as made from Vintage goods:>)

by michemb 17 Apr 2012

this is o.k for some items but I do many baby items so this is not really an options for me.
thanks for the idea though.

A fabric stash is a good idea but who has enough room to kerp it all?

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by joann13100 18 Apr 2012

That's why they make these things called "closets" !

The price of cotton is terrible, isn't it. Cotton is a commodity, it just keeps going up and never seems to go down, though. As the US dollar is devalued, the price will continue to sky rocket. I guess we should buy all the fabric we can now before it gets worse!

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by pcteddyb 17 Apr 2012

I am with you - buy whenever on sale so you have a stash when the prices go even more crazy. Here in the US we are fortunate in that our prices are not as high as Michelle's but they sure have gone up here too.