There are several different theories on how to pick your thread to do the surface quilting. Do you want it to disappear, stand out a lot, stand out a little, a little of both? One thing to consider, especially with the intermediate (primary+secondary), or the complementary (opposites on the wheel) fabric colors is that you can use a grayed version of one of those colors to harmonize with the fabric but still add a little pop.

Brown is a complement color mix of red (primary) and green (secondary blue+yellow). This particular batik tends be a bit on the blue side of brown with some gray mixed in which is why I selected these particular colors as possible quilting threads. I have three matte colors and one with more luster.

The Mettler matte brown is barely visible on the darker parts of this batik but will be more obvious on the lighter areas. That means I have to decide if I want the quilting more visible on the light areas and disappear on the dark, or I may stop and switch colors.

The Mettler matte gray will blend more evenly across light and dark and show about the same balance of visual definition. The Mettler matte blue that is slightly on the gray side with have a bit more pop on the darker areas of this batik. This could mean a color change to transition between the medium and dark.

The DMC matte purple will play off the red and blue tones of the brown and give a little bit of unexpected color interest while still not shouting 'Here I AM!' like an orange thread would. The shiny Floriani thread I would probably only use for the dark and medium areas. The shine will make it more obvious on the surface and the dark on the lighter areas of the batik would just be a bit too dramatic than I have want for this quilt. I want the quilting to balance across all the color variations of this batik.

Detail views of thread choices: Which would you choose?

For the areas on the batik that go from very light to medium I played with these colors. A Mettler matte gray, matte medium brown and the matte gray lavender. As you can see, any of these would work and it is just personal preference and what you want to highlight and bring attention to on the surface of your piece.

Don't limit yourself to just a color selection that matches your fabric when picking your threads. Throw in some odd colors or zingers and see if you can't find something that will make your quilt sing.

If all this is a little confusing, get yourself a color wheel/guide that makes sense to you. These can be found at art stores, Jo-Ann's or just about store that has an art or craft section. There are also great guides on YouTube or online. Check out the painting videos of online artists. I watch them and always pick up new tips and color combination ideas.

This is what happens when you don't verify a needle for a particular thread. I normally use a 90/14 while machine quilting and have no problems. The Superior thread I used for this stipple quilting requires a 100/16 needle for a good stitch result.

I will now be going back and tearing out a few of the skipped/shredded thread areas and quilt them back out. Since this was an old project that will just be living at home, I will not be 'reverse sewing' the whole section affected. If this was bound for a show, I would replace each and every affected area. I have not had issues with other 35 wt thread with a 90/14 so I don't know what the difference is with this particular thread. Perhaps it is a twist difference or the actual fiber from which it is manufactured.

Lesson learned: check for needle recommendations on threads. I had stitched out a test piece, but the problem didn't manifest in the sample.

What thread lessons have you learned through experience?