i'm using Colonial right now- it is nice, working fine for the backing of the 2 Connecticut quilts I made. I have not tried the Northland. I buy pretty much 99% of my wide backings from fabric.com- have for 11 years- I've never been unhappy with any of them. I love the wide flannels. I've used a number of their muslins I do pre-wash them - they have a nice weight/hand to them, are soft & nice to work with