As to your question about where to find reasonably priced thread, I buy mine at connectingthreads.com. Watch for their sales. I get their thread on sale for $1.79 a spool for a nice 50wt. cotton. There is 1200yds on each spool. I quilted a large quilt with an intricate design and still had half a spool left! Only caveat is it can be a little linty, which means you have to clean the machines periodically. Wonderful thing you are doing!