My friend, Jacquie, shared some fabric from her stash with me. This piece of white (which is nearly gone) has become my favorite white, ever:

I think it is a pima cotton – it has a fine, tight weave – but what makes it special is the stitching. It appears to be a chain stitch, done by machine, with a fine enough thread so that it isn't bulky. The stitching didn't shrink and make the fabric pucker when I washed and dried it. It has a lovely personality when pieced together with other fabrics.

This is the sort of fabric that you rarely see in a quilt shop and, if you did, it would be expensive. I look for this sort of thing and when I find it, I buy it – although I never buy enough.

I was thinking about this fabric when I went through the mail last week. The CB2 (Crate & Barrel 2) catalog came and this duvet set was on display:

It looks like the 'stitching' on the duvet cover and pillows is done with ribbon, or strips of fabric cut on the bias. I don't know that I'll ever get around to making my own fabric that looks like either of these pieces, but it's definitely do-able.