I hate to say always, but I almost always used white on white (tonal). Recently, I used a coupon at JoAnn's and bought 9 or 10 yards of one particular (paisley) design that I love. It's great for all sorts of projects. I have one on my design wall right now and from across the room, it reads just white; upclose it's beautiful. (The rest is half square florals) I have another ready for a few more hours of applique that I'm using the same fabric as the final border. I love both. (The second is last year's free basket bom from Bunny Hill...cute!)