A lot depends on what your end plan is for your quilt. If you are afraid to have your practice stitching show, then I guess you should opt for color coordinated thread. When I first started quilting, I did a "practice quilt". It is king sized with a complicated design that has a few hundred different fabrics in it, so I hand quilt it with only ecru thread. The off-white thread looks really good. I am only about half-way through getting this quilt completed. My first stitches are HUGE; now my stitches are tiny. Not all my fabric choices were right either, both color and type; my backing fabric is awful, BUT the quilt is still pretty nifty and goes to my husband when it's finally finished. He loves it and wants it finished.