Fabric Cost
05-12-2012, 01:48 PM
#41
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: West Yorkshire ,England
Posts: 239
PS: I think that some of the gizmos and gadgets that are being marketed are way overpriced. They can't have it both ways. If we didn't have to spend so much on replacing blades and marking tools etc., we would have more money to spend on the fabric. So many of these are marked up by the retailers, as can be seen when you shop around to compare prices.
05-12-2012, 02:39 PM
#43
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 16
Definitely a catch 22. For us as customers and for the shop owners, too. My LQS owners are very aware of rising fabric prices. One of them told me more than a year ago that they were sticker shocked by the price of the cottons coming into the store and that even at $10 a yard she knows that her customers are going to start choosing between quilting and other expenses like gas for the car.
So I imagine the OP's shop owner knows that $15 a yard is very high but I'd bet that price does reflect her costs to stock the fabric.
It is tough. My LQS has wonderful classes and teachers. I stumbled in there a couple years ago out of curiosity. Then a quilting coworker got me a gift certificate which I used to take some beginning classes. The employees there are quilters and they do a show of their projects every year on top of making gorgeous and inspiring examples for the classes. I would really miss that if they were to go out of business. And I wouldn't have taken an interest if I hadn't been able to walk into a bricks and mortar store, I don't think.
I can't afford $15/yd either. The last few fabrics I've bought I picked up online for far less than that. But I do try to shop my LQS for gadgets, books, patterns and notions, just to try to give them some support.
I agree about the gadgets, too. There seem to be so many of them and for a real pretty price! I grew up with a mom who could sew everything under the sun with a pair of scissors, her 1959 Singer Slant-o-matic and little else. So whenever I see a slick new gadget that I supposedly can't continue sewing or quilting without, I ask myself "How did my Mom do that?" It's saved me a lot of money!
So I imagine the OP's shop owner knows that $15 a yard is very high but I'd bet that price does reflect her costs to stock the fabric.
It is tough. My LQS has wonderful classes and teachers. I stumbled in there a couple years ago out of curiosity. Then a quilting coworker got me a gift certificate which I used to take some beginning classes. The employees there are quilters and they do a show of their projects every year on top of making gorgeous and inspiring examples for the classes. I would really miss that if they were to go out of business. And I wouldn't have taken an interest if I hadn't been able to walk into a bricks and mortar store, I don't think.
I can't afford $15/yd either. The last few fabrics I've bought I picked up online for far less than that. But I do try to shop my LQS for gadgets, books, patterns and notions, just to try to give them some support.
I agree about the gadgets, too. There seem to be so many of them and for a real pretty price! I grew up with a mom who could sew everything under the sun with a pair of scissors, her 1959 Singer Slant-o-matic and little else. So whenever I see a slick new gadget that I supposedly can't continue sewing or quilting without, I ask myself "How did my Mom do that?" It's saved me a lot of money!
Last edited by nmtonimarie; 05-12-2012 at 02:45 PM. Reason: edit to add this:
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