burchquilts

I made a scrappy 30's Irish Chain a couple of years ago & I used some really wonderful muslin that I got from Nancy's Notions. It was called something like Vintage Muslin or some name similar to that. It was white (not natural) but not quite pure white. It really looked nice with my scraps & I wish I'd bought a bunch more of it! I have used muslin (in fact, I back almost all my quilts with muslin because I like the way it feels after it's washed) & I personally love it. But I would suggest that you buy good muslin... not the 99 cent a yard stuff. I usually use Moda & I love it. I know some of the gals here on the board like Kona but I find it rather stiff. Yes, it does shrink (& wrinkle) but once you get used to that, it's fine.

I can't wait to see your quilt when you make it. I love reproduction fabrics! Good luck!

ghquilter53

I am doing a 30's quilt right now and also didn't want the white background. I am using a wonderful light yellow and just love it. Good luck.

Sewlmatesister

Whenever I wanta non white (but white) I use Kona Cotton SNOW...it is the berst for a cross between white and cream. Gorgeous!

Latrinka

i'd say pale green or yellow.

Wintersewer

I think jade was commonly used in 30s and 40s quilts. If you prefer a natural color you might try "Super muslin" which I buy at Walmart. I bought a bolt of it but the clerk ripped off the tag. It's made by a well known muslin company, but I can't recall the name of it......dang old age...... It looks like muslin but is much heavier.

matraina

If they were brighter colors, I would definitely say black. They're so striking. I think, for these colors, muslin would be a good choice.

bearisgray

Roc-Lon ???

riutzelj

i think i'd go for a nice unbleached muslin. a grey with a tint of a blue would look nice as well. just remember to keep it light value so you don't wash out those other medium values

wishfulthinking

I'd stick with white, or pale yellow. I have that book and love it.

barny

If you buy muslin, buy good stuff. It shrinks. Black is pretty, BUT they didn't use black in the 30's quilts. All they had was muslin. I love it on the back of my quilts too.