I guess I am the rebel here. Right now I use whatever color I have - whatever brand - whatever type (cotton or blend) when I am piecing that my Husky will work with. I have a ton of thread (another stash), and I am slowly going through it. Now I only buy Aurifil and use Aurifil for quilting, and I have just discovered Madeira 60wt. monopoly for SID, I love it. Looks beautiful, and no problems using it on my Husky 875Q. I also upscaled to Klasse topstitch needles for quilting. Love them.