I have the same machine and I love it. I have only practiced with cone thread and have had good results. If you want to purchase the embroidery thread, you may concider on-line options. I bought most of mine from E-bay. Once your are logged in on e-bay, search for 'machine embroidery thread'. You will get about 1000+ options to choose. Some of the thread is generic but I am still new and it works for me. Prices are often very low compared to Jo-anns.