QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Tariff Updates After Three Months

 

"Yikes!" 

Tariffs on imported items have been in place for over three months. Peter Eavis of the New York Times reported on effects on December 1st, e.g., a woman who bought a coat from the Netherlands for $456 plus shipping (a splurge) had to pay another $250 in customs duties when it arrived.

For decades, no U.S. duties were imposed on items worth $800 or less. The current administration closed that loophole that allowed goods to enter the United States tariff-free. The $800 cut-off, known as the de minimis exemption, meant that Americans could buy fabric, patterns, books, etc. from the rest of the world and pay shipping but no tariffs. International shipping has been hit hard by the new economic policy.
As of August, 2025

The tariff situation affects quilters in many ways. The fine quality quilting cottons sold by U.S. companies are printed primarily in South Korea and Japan where tariffs now affect the importers' price, increasing wholesale prices to shops and retail prices to customers.

Over on the top right here I have been keeping track of quilt fabric 
retail prices every Friday in the hopes of seeing trends.

End of November, online price for current Christmas prints

September through November, 2025

Prices increased but then dropped to about $13+ a yard at retail shops online 
(fabric fairly new and NOT on sale.)

"Yikes!"

My method may be flawed as I randomly pick a new fabric each week to price but it looks like the
retailers or the wholesalers are eating the costs of those tariffs to benefit consumers. Of course different companies use different quality greige (gray) goods---the base fabric---and some probably pay their designers less so there are other factors in the pricing differences but....

"Yikes"

Read more about tariffs and why we don't produce high quality quilting cotton in the U.S. in these posts:


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