Can we talk about white fabric?
 

I have fallen in love with the color designs on white backgrounds, or the blocks made with white in them. They seem to float right on the quilt and I'm in awe of what that much white can do for a quilt.

When I go to quilt stores, there is so much white, some whiter than white, some patterned, some look as if they have been woven with a little silver and some a little gray. From dull white to bright white to sheet white, there are a lot of whites out there.

My questions are when using white, is it best to use a flat white or a lightly patterned white, and do the whites have to match? Like if a colored fab has a lot of white in it, I suppose you would try to match the white as close as possible, unless you are looking for a slight contrast, but to get that floaty look, they would have to match.

What whites do you have in your stash? Can you post pics? Do you ever do white on white?

I use a lot of white on white fabrics. I put them together often using different prints, all about the same. *white* but different prints help add movement just like adding different prints in colors adds movement. The pictures here on the board of my. 'Connecticut quilts' have different whites as background for the appliqued blocks

I use a lot of white-on-white. There's lots of variations with that too.

I personally like to use a white print when I use white fabrics. Especially in quilts that use a lot of white. I just like the look of it more. White solid just seems too flat to me. Then again, I don't really go for solids in any color. If I have a colored fabric with a lot of white in it I do try to match the whites as much as possible, but again I think it depends on what design you are working with. It is all about your personal preference. There is no wrong answer.

I use to use a lot of white tonals but when doing charity quilts (especially for boys) I find myself using more black because it makes the colors POP!!

When I buy white fabric for a quilt, I buy enough of the same fabric, but there's nothing that says you can't mix and match your white fabric in your quilt since there are so many choices. Have fun.

I like the white on white with a small design in it.

I use one of the Kona whites. And you're right, there are a lot of variations of white!

I stash Kona white (bright white) and Kona snow (off white); and also white-on-white designs (also bright white), and use them pretty much interchangably. I decide what works when I'm shopping my stash and piling up fabrics - usually either the bright-whites or the off-whites will look a little weird with the rest of the fabrics and I can tell which should be removed. And if either works, I use whichever one I have the most of!