I have never stitched in the ditch and I'm wondering if I should change thread colors when I go from one piece to the next. My quilt is a French braid with several pieces "blending" from white to green to black. Thank you for your help.

Question two: Is there another better method of quilting a French Braid than stitch in the ditch?

When I stitch in the ditch I use invisable thread , smoke colored. That way I do not have to change thread colors.
A few tips for invisable thread.
- Use a cone holder to allow the thread to relax before the tension disks
- Practice on a scrap quilt sandwich to make any tension adjustments
- Use regular thread in the bobbin ( you can use invisable , but of you never used it before .. best to use the regular thread)
- Some use a metallic needle , but get the best results using a new smaller needle
- A walking foot
- Use a high quality thread , the stuff sold in the rack that comes on a cardboard then covered in plastic is always a problem for me. I did not ever think I could use invisable till I found a better quality.

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Have you tried Sulky or Gutterman, if so, how does it work, what brand do you use??

Have you possibly thought about a varigated green? I've never tried it but was just wondering how it would work. I myself use an off white or a very light tan when I can't match up the thread & fabric. Once you have stitched in the ditch it's not going to be that noticable. Only if my Mother were alive to be your quilt inspector!

I use the Sulky and love it.....

I found two that work really well one is YLI Brand , which I got from HomeSew the other is from Clotilde ( they carry the clear and the smoke color) I really like the smoke color from Clotilde is has less shine and unless the fabric is white , that is the color I use.
The Gutterman I had mixed results , one spool was great the next one , was REALLY bad .. loaded with so much static the thread wrapped around everything... ALOT. I was given the Clotilde , so once I got to a good one , I did not try the Sulky, maybe someone here can speak to how that thread performs.

I used YLI invisible thread for stitch in the ditch and was happy with the results. Then I discovered Botton Line from Superior Threads #617. I use it for all my machine quilting. This colour blends with every colour fabric. I use it in the needle and the bobbin.

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There are other ways of quilting French braid quilts, don't know if they are better. One I saw recently had vines and flowers quilted on each side of the valleys, it was nice.

Does invisible thread melt or scratch?

Superior threads sells a High heat invisable thread. There has been much discussion on the some brands melting. I am an fanatic on pressing and have never had the better brands ever melt. There is not much pressing typically once the quilt top is completed and its just used for the actual quilting. It has not had an issue with the dryer either.
As far as the scratching goes if you remember to trim your threads right at the start if a stiching line there are no tails. Its the untrimmed tails that can be a bit scratchy... more of a nusance since invisable thread is stiffer than regular cotton or poly thread. Once I got in the habit of trimming at the start and then at the end , it made it much easier to find those little threads , after all its supposed to be hard to see.
I do find I need to take a few more stiches either in place or reverse to tack or secure the line of quilting... its slippery stuff and needs a few more stiches to really hold it.