I should have mentioned that the Madeira thread that the quilting instructor recommended for us was Madeira Cotona Nr.50 (whatever Nr. stands for???) premium quilting thread, 100% merc cotton . My wife has always used the cheap stuff. You don't know what you don't know and now that there is better stuff out there and a reason for it, life should be easier.
When I tried to find this same stuff online, we paid $6.99 a spool for this and I was looking for a better price, I'm having a hard time.