I have one quilt that I made with different white-on-white fabrics. I taught a dresden plate class at the LQS so I had several different blocks that I made while the students were making theirs. I would buy another white-on-white each time so none of them match. But they turned out to be a nice quilt when I decided to put all those blocks together. Would you like to see it?

If there are large pieces of white I sometimes tend to use the same fabric throughout (though that's certainly not a rule) but if there are smaller pieces I like to mix different whites. I like having some that are very bright and others that are not.

I tend to prefer white on whites as I think there's more movement and interest in the fabric. Rarely do I use plain colored fabrics and using a plain white to me just looks odd or as if something is missing.

I buy Kona white by the bolt because I use a lot of white sashing and want it all to match and as you noted there can be lots of variation. That being said, however I do mix whites, ivories, creams and neutrals in piecing and like the results.

It depends on the quilt's design and the look you're after. I have white solids ranging from bright snow white to antique white to very off-white, as well as white on white prints that offer a little pattern and texture when you want a little bit more interest without being distracting. It's good to have this type of variety in your stash so you can experiment and learn what appeals to you and what doesn't.

Try not to overthink this; embrace the choices we're offered from the fabric manufacturers and play away!

I use mostly Kona snow or Kona white prepared for dyeing instead of a bright white.

I also love quilts with lots of white, and I love all kinds of white. When I've had colored fabrics with white, and need a white background or sashing, I take lots of time choosing the right white. I use the hue of the white in the printed fabric as a guide, but they don't have to match exactly. Recently I ended up choosing a white I liked best with my fabric, and then I had to go back for more, and they had a different white that was so much more beautiful with it, I practically swooned. So I bought that one instead. I think you should try different whites until you get that swoony feeling, and that is the right one.

I recently used a bright, pure tone on tone white for sashing with fabrics that had very soft off whites in them, which I thought was a no-no, and I was quite worried about it initially, but it was the only thing that set off the soft whites enough, and no quilt police came for me. :)

I've chosen both solid and tonal whites for sashing depending on the quilt. Solids work well with modern fabrics and patterns. I think whites also mix beautifully with each other, though I haven't yet made a quilt using more than one white fabric (if that's what you meant by white on white). Normally I choose my whites in person, or audition on-line fabrics (which can be costly), but once I ordered the whole amount of sashing fabric on line, and it was perfect. That was from The Fat Quarter Shop, and they have good color representation, in my experience.

What a beautiful quilt! I love it!!

Dina

I rarely use white in a quilt, but the dresden plate above is wonderful. However, I did make my nephew a a big pinwheel quilt and used tone-on-tone stark whites with different prints for half of the pinwheel. Not my cup of tea but he loved it. Now if I'm doing a pattern that calls for white, I usually use a soft white (or off white) and buy enough for the pattern

I like to use white on white for "newer" quilt patterns but will use solid white in more traditional patterns and applique. When shopping I think along the lines of light bulb purchases - cool white or warm white. I can not really pin point a way to describe it except how it feels to me.