White or cream material for background quilting
 

This has been going on for a while with me. When I check out the solid materials at fabric shops, they feel so thin. Don't like to use thin material for "backgrounds"on the front of quilts. What kind of white and cream solids do you experienced quilters use. Where do you get it?

kona cotton is a nice solid

I agree with Pamesue - KONA COTTON!!!! I use it for all my solids when it matters.

Moda Bella solids!

I prefer tone on tone for my creams and whites.

I get any white on white or off white on off white from Wal Mart or anywhere, I just feel it.I haven't run across any thin yet. I don't pay high prices for most of my fabrics. Quality is what I want.

I've found that when I buy thin fabric, such as at a local fabric but not quilting store where they sometimes offer it at $1 a yard--too good to pass up--if I wash it, and it shrinks down, it is now of good weight. For backgrounds, I love to use white-on-white or white-on-cream. I find that using a solid sucks the life out and makes things too flat for my taste.

I agree, I rarely use a solid of any color in my quilts. Good to know about the fabric shrinking down and making it a good weight. Now I think of all those priced great white on whites I have passed on . . . .

Kona cotton is very nice. I use it for background and top.

i use kona

I've also had some success with soaking fabrics in hot water and then washing them.

Sometimes the 'shrunken' fabric is really quite satisfactory. And sometimes it's not.

In the long run, it's probably better to get what you want to begin with.

'Musin' can be purchased in all sorts of weights and qualities.

If you buy the RocLon tea-dyed muslin - it says 'preshrunk' on the end of the bolt. Don't believe it. It shrank a LOT for me~

Another vote for tone on tone fabrics here. I usually look for something that 'reads' solid but isn't just to up the interest a little bit. Then, again, if that's not the look you're going for than I'd go with what everyone else says. I don't normally use solids so I'm no help there.

I have used tone-on-tone in the past. But I wanted to try solids because the books and magazines I see have so many pretty quilts done with white or cream background or black background. So I just got a Kona jelly roll in black. I did order and off-white jelly roll from Moda so I am anxious to try them.

I've only bought Kona once, from someone here. It was black and it was really, really nice. I'd imagine for background quilting, it would be perfect. The weight was super nice.

I use sheets!

Tone on tone or marbles is my vote..

I think some traditional quilts need a white background but other than that I don't use any solid colors in my quilts.

I love the tone-on-tones and marbles. I used to use a lot of "flat" solids, but I like the movement of the "mostly solids." Kona is a nice solid and I have used it for black alot.

Kona cotton is fantastic. I buy mine at Hobby Lobby or Joann's.

I agree Kona cotton is the best for solids but I also like to use a white on white or cream on cream prints for my background. The print helps make the fabric more opaque.

I find Kona cotton too heavy and prefer Moda's.

Moda makes a great muslin, both in bleached and unbleached, no little black slubs.

Agree Scissor Queen, once you use Bella Moda the rest look chintzy. I also use a lot of tone on tones and I have not run into thin stuff from the LQS.

I agree that some of the white or cream colored tone on tones are very thin and cheap feeling. I sometimes use different tone on tones in one quilt and while I am trying to concentrate on style and design, I have to be really careful I don't accidentally buy these cheaper style fabrics even at a higher end quilt fabric stores. Why so they always seem to be more common in the lighter colors? Since I like to use prints for my background Kona cottons don't work.

glad I am not only one that thinks solids are "flat" and dull a top in nothing flat!

WHEN I do want a solid, I prefer Kona cottons, they do have more "life" to them! and play nice with Batiks!

I will NEVER use a solid if there is any chance of finding a tonal that will work.

No certain brand for me, but my LQS had nice solids very reasonably priced.

I use what I have access to because there isn't a fabric Wal-mart near.

I agree with trif--tone on tone for solids.

I use lots of Kona black, but for whites and creams I always use tone-on-tone. To me, sometimes solids look "flat," so I like the subtle texture of ton-on-tone prints.

Kona cottons are great.. I found that Bella solids by Moda tend to fray a great deal. Most fabric stores carry them. Online stores mostly have one or the other. If you go to quiltshops.com and enter what you are looking for in the search engine they have over 200 stores and you can pick the one with the lowest price.

I use Kona cotton by Robert Kauffman. It has more body than others I have tried.

I like whites, unbleached muslins and solids for some projects. I don't believe I've ever used a name brand.

I agree Moda Belle and Kona are both great. I bought Kona solid and then had grandkids draw pictures on a square and then I am going to make a quilt with their square in it.

When I have a solid that I like and need that particular color, I use a similar or contrasting thread and stitch a design on it (sort of like quilting it without the other layers) and then cut it into the size I need. I then have the color I wanted and it is not so flat anymore. Adds dimension and interest.

Clever!!!!

I use KONA cotton too :) I like the color snow.

I prefer to use Kona

I tend to be a tone-on-tone person, it just adds that little lift, especially when I an going to applique something on it. I also like that suggestion of decorating it yourself with tone-on-tone thread or contrasting. Even when I made a cloth doll, the tone-on-tone print kept the "body" from being bare and more of an underwear type characteristic. For the parasol girl block I am working on, it gives a little lacey look behind her.

Marysewfun

I use Kona Snow or Kona Ivory. Just love the ivory.