Welcome to the wonderful world of quilting and to this fantastic Quilting Board! One aspect of quilting that is important are threads. Google Superior Threads, and there is a marvelous website with all kinds of useful information such as charts showing what size and type of needles go with specific threads. There are a couple trouble shooting guides, too. The last time I ordered, the shipping was still a flat fee of $3.99 no matter how much is ordered.