Quite by accident I found out that white on white printed quilting cotton acts as a resist when painted or dyed. I dyed some fabric pieces that I thought were plain white but weren’t, and I was delighted with the results.
My first cheater resist featured tiny flowers, which aren’t quite my cuppa, but they do stand out.
Then, a friend found white fabric woven with polka dots that showed up wonderfully when dye was applied. Here I used periwinkle dye.
By this time I began to seek out white on white fabrics I could color. At a store in the middle of Ohio corn fields I found white fabric printed with cracked ice patterns. I used Pebeo Setacolor to paint a strip of it. The white fabric behind the aqua is the original fabric.
The popularity of white printed on white fabric waxes and wanes, so you might not find plentiful possibilities right now. Here’s what eQuilter offers at present. However, I suspect if you investigate your stash you may find you already own some examples.
The Snarky Quilter 
These are gorgeous. For whatever reason, I did know that w-o-w would give you a resist pattern. I rarely buy white at all and doubt I have any of the w-o-w in my stash. But it certainly something to watch for. How will you use them? Do you have ideas or was this just experiment for the moment?
I’ve used the aqua already and like the idea of custom coloring fabric that has a bit of a textured pattern. My friend is mad for polka dots and has used her dots in a few pieces. I understand why you may not have any w o w in your stash, but someone may offer to give you some and you now may be more inclined to take it.
How interesting! I have some leftover fabric called “Fairy Frost” by Michael Miller that I will try with the Setacolor and/or Setasilk. I’m planning a tree/sky themed table runner for a large coffee table, and I can see where that might work nicely–thanks!
Penny, NE Ohio
The key to success is whether there’s any unprinted on parts of the fabric. You could also try dye.
Wow, it worked! I really like it–thanks for the great tip!
Thank you for letting me know about your success. I always worry that what works for me won’t for others.
How cool is this? I had no idea! BTW, I thought of you last week when I was at weaving school. Two women at our B&B were taking a workshop from a protege of Ruth McDowell, using photos as inspiration for art quilts. They were doing all kinds of experimenting!
Oh fun! Quilters are everywhere. Any idea who the teacher was?
Oh, rats–I’m sure they told me but I don’t remember. I only remember that they mentioned Ruth McDowell because we just saw an exhibition of her work in Vermont. The work they were doing looked HARD!
I think the teacher was Ann Shaw, based on my internet research.
That’s the one! I just looked at her website and remember being shown a photo of the zebra. Cool quilts! But, my god, the process sounded so complicated!
Yeah, you essentially create a pattern and then cut it up and sew it back together with fabric.