My go to thread for piecing is Masterpiece...I think the color is graphite. I use a stand alone cone holder at home. When I go to class, I use a large coffee mug, clothespin a wooden ruler, put the thread in the coffee cup, thread the thread thru the top hole of the ruler and then into the machine. I have also seen a picture on Pinterest of a safety pin on the spool pin. You can then thread the thread thru the pin ...voila! Instant cone threader...