I am like you...working on finishing my first quilt, so my advice may not be as tried and true as others, but, when you are using whites, be sure to use a white batting. If you use a cream color, or a somewhat speckled color, it will/may show through the white fabric, or dull the whitness of the fabric. Also, I have noticed that the white on white fabrics appear to be easier to see through. Kona solids are more substantial and so you will get a truer white since you can,t see through it, but I have read that quilting is seriously more noticable on a solid. I am not a good enough quilter yet to want to do it on a solid. Hope this is useful...Alice