I have used monofilament thread with good results. You can use it both on top and in the bobbin, or one or the other. My experience with quilting is limited too, but this worked well for me. Also, I just did a lot of practice quilting yesterday. It turns out to be much more forgiving than you can imagine. One of the suggestions in the article was to use variegated thread because it is harder to see any imperfections. It's true.