Do NOT use hand quilting thread in a machine. The coating/glaze/wax will gunk up the tension disks and other mechanisms. You can tell it's glazed even if not labeled, by the coil it will have coming off the spool. You CAN use poly thread on a cotton quilt. There are many thread lines by celebrity quilters which are poly. So pick something that will have the look you want on the back, won't show your flubs on the front, and won't give you grief in the machine.