I use SoFine #50 and love it--it's a thinner thread than most cotton threads (like King Tut,etc) and you can use a smaller needle (I use a #16 instead of the #18 that I use with the cotton threads on my long arm). You will always get some bearding with quilting--but do make sure you have the batting right side (the one with the little pills, or with some bats, the side that doesn't show a scrim)up and I suggest you use a black bat on the very dark quilts. I always use Hobbs 80/20 & find that it's not a problem. I do find a difference in bats from what customer's sometimes bring, so you might want to do some experimenting.