I'll use just about any thread that is labeled as 'hand quilting' for that purpose as long as it's in the color I want. Sometimes I want the thread to blend...sometimes not, so whatever color I'm looking for is what brand thread I end up with. I have used all of the readily available in-store brands...Gutterman, Coats & Clark, even JoAnns brand - Americana. Also a very big believer in Thread Heaven. Makes any of these threads tangle much less.
Also use Roxanne needles - usually size 10 or 11. Don't have issues with getting any of them through the eye of the #10 but sometimes with the 11's.