Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts: Cheaper by the Roll!

There's one thing that every quilt has in common...it needs batting. My favourite type of batting is Warm & Natural 100% cotton batting. It is always soft and quilts beautifully. Here in Canada I have paid anywhere from $18+ a meter to $30, depending on the store and sale. Batting is expensive!

Since I order my fabric on-line I thought, why don't I order my batting on-line too? When I realized I could use the 50% off coupon code at Joann's and purchase an entire roll of 40 yards of batting for half-price I start investigating. I talked with the manager at our chain sewing store and she said she'd be happy to sell me a roll of batting and I wouldn't have to wait for the 'member's 50% off sale'...but even with that discount, the best price she could get me would work out to about $15+ a meter AND I would still have to pay the 13% tax on top of that. I knew my local quilt shop would probably not even be able to match that amount so I didn't even bother checking. Even with the extra shipping to Canada, the exchange rate & Visa service charge, as well as a Special Handling fee AND a processing fee, Joann's bottom line was almost half what I could get a roll for on sale here in Canada, before tax! It came out to $8.03 a yard.

So I knew I would order from Joann's the next time I got a 50% off coupon. But then I got impatient! (Surprise!) A quick Google search found me a valid code and I ordered my roll of batting right away! (Find your own code and you can avoid a poplular item being 'sold out' before you get to it when the mass coupons are released!)

Having a giant roll of batting just feels like a security blanket to me. Not only can I have the batting I need for any quilt right there waiting, there will be a lot less waste because I can cut off the exact amount I need (I would usually add a generous amount to make sure I had enough called for in the pattern leaving me with lots of little cut-off pieces). Storage is not too bad because I just put the roll under my Grace Frame. I would love to have it on an extra batting bar but the roll is too big at the moment. I don't think it will get too dusty under the quilt frame and hopefully I won't get any mice looking for a nice home!

I'm sure some people think they don't want to pay all the extra shipping to have a large item delivered or pay a larger amount now to buy in bulk. However, when you take the time consider the cost of a product per unit, factor in all the costs incurred (like gas or taxes) it just might pay to do the math and have the convenience of door-to-door delivery to boot! I know I will always buy my batting this way - but it's going to be a while...and about 18 quilts (!) before I'll need to order again!