Hi! I'm a newbie too so soaking up all the info I can... When piecing, i use only cotton thread on cotton fabrics. I bought a large cone of thread in dark beige which seems to work with everything. For the actual quilting, and depending on the design of course, you can go all out and use other types, eg rayon which gives a nice effect. A machine repairman warned me that too much use of polyester thread creates excessive lint around the bobbin case and causes other problems. Just a thought! We're all learning tog!