Picking the right white fabric for your project can be a bit tricky. To help shine some light on this common quilting dilemma, we’ve gathered our five favorite Bella Solids Backgrounds so you can confidently pick the perfect backdrop for your next quilt!
Which Bella Solids Background is Right For Me?
To help you pick, here is a quick breakdown of each of these five fabrics:
- White White (9900-500) – The truest white there is! No undertones to consider, and all the contrast you could ever want.
- White Bleached (9900-98) – A super bright white with just a hint of a cream undertone.
- Fig Tree Cream (9900-67) – The quintessential cream! Its warm undertones add a vintage feel and soften the contrast between the background and print fabrics.
- Off White (9900-200) – The most versatile of the batch, thanks to the subtle warm undertones that complement most colors without competing.
- Ivory (9900-60) – The perfect way to soften the look of your quilt with a wash of warmth.
When you find your favorite, did you know you can purchase a full bolt? Buying in bulk like this not only saves you some money, but it makes sure that your stash is always ready for your next quilt!
How Do The Bella Solids White Fabrics Compare?
At the top of the stack is a new addition to the Bella Solids collection called White White (9900-500). As the name suggests, it’s the truest white we carry. With no undertones to take into consideration, it’s a universal match for modern quilters who love a crisp, clean white background. Because of this, it’s also the perfect fabric to compare the other whites to! Keep reading for an in-depth look at each of these fabrics:
Bella Solids White Bleached (9900-98)
Until the release of White White (9900-500), White Bleached (9900-98) was the brightest white in the Bella Solids collection. If you’re looking for a high contrast white that really stands out, but you want the slightest touch of a cream undertone so it doesn’t feel so stark, this is the one to pick.
Bella Solids Fig Tree Cream (9900-67)
On the scale of white-to-cream, Fig Tree Cream (9900-67) is exactly what we picture when we think of the warm tones and richness of cream. It’s perfect for projects that you want to have lower contrast, or for any quilt that uses reproduction fabrics.
Bella Solids Off White (9900-200)
Off White fabric usually has a touch of pink and yellow in its undertones, making it a good option for fabric that also has warm undertones or when you don’t want a super stark white. For example, the cool, bright tone of White White (9900-500) will look right at home with blues, purples, and other cool-toned colors, but it will stand out like a sore thumb against warmer colors like red, orange, pink, and brown. So, when you want a white fabric to complement all the cozy colors in your quilt, Off White (9900-200) is the way to go!
Bella Solids Ivory (9900-60)
Ivory brings to mind the soft transition of winter into spring. One step shy of Fig Tree Cream (9900-67) and one step beyond Off White (9900-200), Bella Solids Ivory (9900-60) is the perfect Goldylocks of warm-toned whites. We suggest picking this fabric if you want to lessen the contrast between your background and the printed fabric while still allowing the printed fabric to pop. Don’t be afraid to pair a warmer white with cool-toned fabrics, though! It will just help to blend everything together!
Share with FQS
Now that you know which of the Bella Solids Backgrounds to pick, it’s time to get sewing! You can browse the What’s New section to find your next favorite collection, and a peek at the Free Quilt Patterns never fails to inspire.
Be sure to share your projects with us on Facebook and Instagram and tag @fatquartershop so we can see and share your work!
Happy quilting!
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16 comments
Where does Bella Solids porcelain (9900-182) fall in this spectrum of whites? I am looking for a white that works with Minick and Simpson fabrics.
That is a great question for our customer service team! They are sew helpful with fabric matching/coordination questions! You can reach out to them via email (service@fatquartershop.com) or you by phone (1.866.826.2069).
This was very helpful since I order most of my fabric online.
Thank you for the detail of each of the white/off white differences in the fabrics. It helps when you need to pick a background and you don’t know which one to pick. Very helpful. Please keep this post up for a long while.
This post was so informative. I loved the photo of the bolts stacked. This makes it easy to see the differences between the whites and the descriptions are also very helpful.
Thank you. I have saved this for future reference. I would like to know where Porcelain fits as I have some. It seems to be between 60 and 200. It’s just not as popular. Thank you for taking the time to post this.
Would I be able to get a small swatch of each before ordering a bolt?
This was really helpful. Kimberly is so facile with the numbers during her livestreams, but I tend to think in terms of the color descriptions, so using them both helps me put it all together. For the sake of ease I have tried to use only one solid–so that I don’t pull the wrong one late at night and have a terrible surprise in the daylight (ask me how I know). My go-to is “Off White” and I was surprised to see how yellowish it looked in this stack, but perhaps only in comparison to the others. The bolt I have here looks just fine to my eyes. đŸ™‚
This is a really helpful post. Thank you for this. Also, could you please do a similar post comparing the Kona whites? That would be helpful, too.
Thank you for this post…very helpful for choosing the ‘best’ background fabric. I think I’m going to need a bolt of Fig Tree Cream for my reproduction prints.
Please also rank 9900-97, I bought a bolt when it was on sale at FQS!
Thank you!
Such a helpful post! It’s like picking that perfect white paint for your house. Such a chore!
this is a wonderful post about the bella solids, as I usually purchase a bolt of backgrounds, knowing the difference will make it much easier.
thank you FQS Judy
Great information. Love the quilt picture and a pattern link?
I just ordered 4 whites to try to match one I was just shy of due to a cutting error. I got 3 Bella whites—2 1 yard pieces and 1 half yard. The half was obvious but I have no clue which of the other is which—no marks on the selvage. I also ordered 1 yard of Riley Blake (again no identification).
One worked out and I can use the others. But, it would have been nice to know which was which.
Hi Patty, FQS is really good about labeling some of the fabrics in your order if you ask them to when you place the order. I assume it adds a little time to the processing, and I wouldn’t just ask for every order, but when ordering several shades of one color it is very helpful. When I want to know the name/manufacturer of other fabrics in my order – ones that don’t look similar but ones I may want to reorder at some point, I just print out the order/invoice, clip out the fabric name, etc. and pin it to the selvage.