Blacks and Whites?
 

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but I'm new...
Do I need to worry about matching up black and white colors from different manufacturers or do they all usually work out?

I am collecting blacks and whites for a quilt. The only thing that I want is to have a true white not a black and off white. That is just my preference though.

Not a stupid question. The answer is: it depends! I made a scrappy black and white and bright quilt a few years ago, and I found that the whites and the blacks from different lines were not that compatible. I have read here that some people really like the Michael Miller Jet black.

If you wash them all and then compare them (preferably in sunlight), you'll be able to see which are compatible. Some blacks are truer blacks, than others.

I had collected many black and white fabrics for several years and when I was ready to make a quilt with them I was surprised that they all didn't go together. Main problem was some of the whites were true whites and others were off whites and also some blacks were more dark grey than black so I couldn't use many of the fabrics I had collected. Here's a photo of my granddaughters holding her quilt. May in Jersey [ATTACH=CONFIG]344981[/ATTACH]

There can be a fair amount of variation in the black - some are warmer, some are cooler. But I think the bigger problem area is going to be the white. There's snow white... and milk white... and they are quite different.

I would recommend that you get all of the fabrics that are mostly-white from not only the same manufacturer, but the same collection if possible. Those fabrics that are quite mixed-up in terms of the amount of black and white, you won't have to be quite as careful about matching.

I have black and white from various manufacturers from various years -

Most of them go together - but I have/had learned to be more selective as I became more aware of the possible variations.

It'll depend, to a degree, on the pattern.
I've mixed different blacks and whites with no problem. I have the same whites and blacks in each block, however.
If your quilt pattern isn't based on blocks, differences will show up more; maybe it won't matter. It's your eye that needs to be pleased.

There are no stupid questions. Occasionally there are stupid answers, rarely though in quilting.

some blacks are true black (Kona cottons) some are grey blacks, some blue blacks and some redish. Remember how black is made - a combination of all the colors. White are funny too - as mentioned by several above. Carry swatches of what you already have when you shop and you can compare before buying new fabric. I find a 2.5 by 5 inch rectangle of fabric stashed in a zip lock baggie is usually big enough for me to have for comparison.

If I want to make sure the colors go together, I carry a small swatch like paulswalia said AND when I am in fabric store, I take the bolt to the door or window and see how they look together in natural light. I thought reds were bad, then I worked with purples and oh my...