I can't help you with the monofiliment thread problem because I don't use it on cotton quilts. I am afraid that the thread will melt or break the threads of the cotton fabric. I use a good cotton thread for meandering. Depending on how much quilting there will be on the quilt is how thick the thread should or should not be. I don't do a lot of tightly quilted quilts, I mostly use a nice king tut or even connecting threads cotton thread in both bobbin and as the top thread. Again it depends on the quilt. A charity quilt is just fine with the connecting threads cotton thread and is miles cheaper to use. I have heard not to use the quilting thread in the machine. So I don't.
Long ago when I used to use the monofiliment, I used a thread additive onto the thread and also a netting over the thread so it would come off the cone right. Oh and use a specialty needle made for this type thread.
I hope this helps you some. I know it is all a learning curve starting out, so don't be too hard on yourself.
Last edited by RedGarnet222; 02-25-2013 at 02:37 PM.