I know what you mean about using contrasting thread. A few years back I spent a lot of time hand quilting some quilt-as-you-go blocks, then put them away. Recently I decided it was time to assemble the quilt. Now that I look at them I can't even see the stitching. I'm hoping it will show up a little better when they're washed and dried.
Maybe you need to wash and dry your quilt a few more times to give it that scrunchy look. From what I can see the quilting looks great.