Buckeye Rose

Sending it out to be machine quilted would make me think a quality job done...therefore the quilting will look great on the back of a quilt. To use a light thread on a darker background will make it show even more. Is there a reason why you couldn't use a different color thread on the backside? Does it have to match the front? I use what I think will look the best. Since my quilting skills aren't even close to what a LA can do, I try to match the thread as close as possible. But a typical LA can do amazing things and I want her quilting to show, so I want a contrasting thread on the backside.

Krisb

Are you hand quilting the top? Since this is your first quilt, you might feel more comfortable with a printed backing, since the stitches will be obvious in a dark chocolate backing. If you are using the sewing machine you certainly can match the bobbin thread to the backing color. The only issue would be that your tension would eed to be very well balance.