I haven't done any thread painting but I've been doing machine embroidery for a few years. I purchased the ThreadArt sets of thread from Amazon because the price was good and I figured it was worth a try. I really like the thread and have since purchased every colour they have in their machine embroidery thread. I've only quilted a couple of quilts now, but used the ThreadArt thread top and bottom and didn't have any problems with it. Their thread is nice and shiny and they have a huge selection of colours. The thread sets on Amazon are spools of 500 m and on the website they sell 1000 m spools. The thread is so affordable, you can have whatever colour you want without spending a small fortune. I figure if it can withstand the rigours of machine embroidery, the sewing machine would be a breeze. I attached a picture of a close up of the back of a jean jacket I embroidered for a friend who loves flowers. I'm hoping it will give you an idea of the colour and sheen on this thread.