The price of cotton!

We've been hearing rumblings from fabric manufacturers for months about cotton supply issues overseas. Severe weather in China and Pakistan -- the leading cotton producers in the world -- led to lower-than-expected yields at a time when the global demand for cotton was rising. According to a Jan. 11 article in Inc. magazine "the price of cotton has risen from about $0.84 per pound in July, to a peak of more than $1.50 in November. Today, prices hover around $1.30." (Click here to read article, Clothing Start-ups Seek Solutions as Cotton Prices Climb)
    Clothing manufacturers like The Gap, Anne Klein and Hanes began talking months ago about price increases as a result of the rising cost of the raw materials -- namely cotton fabrics -- used to produce their apparel. If you've shopped for clothes, towels or other home goods lately, you may have noticed larger numbers on price tags already.
    Cotton fabric is the foundation for our much-loved hobby and the quilting industry unfortunately is not immune to the problems facing manufacturers around the world. The bottom line: Fabric prices are increasing. You can click here to read what many of your favorite cotton quilting companies have to say about this issue in and article in the American Quilt Retailer.
   What does that mean for you as a customer of Intown Quilters? The fabric that's already in the shop will not be increasing in price. There are thousands of yards of fabric on order that will be sold at 2010 pricing, which is already at higher prices than previous years. There will be an increase in fabric prices this year as manufacturers raise wholesale prices. Most companies put their higher prices into effect in the last two months.
    I know the past few years have been difficult for many and am committed to keeping prices as low as I can, but changes are coming. Intown Quilters will continue to provide the highest quality fabrics in the colors and prints we all love. Your continued support of the shop has helped us do this for the past 8.5 years and we hope that patronage will help us keep you sewing for years to come.