I try to find a variagated, but it seems that the color of the thread never falls on the fabric that matches :-) but I think the overall look is good. King tut has a red/green and a red/black. I also use the same color in top and bottom, regardless of the color of the backing fabric. The tension on my machine is pretty good, but I really don't want to stress about the top thread poking up on the back, or vice versa.