Hand Quilting Threads and High Five - W.i.P.

I'm relatively new to hand quilting.  Really, I have very little experience.  Maybe 2 baby quilts and 2 medium-sized quilts.  My stitching is less than perfect.  But that's okay:  beginners are rarely perfect.

I'm happy to improvise the pattern.  I thought to do a Baptist Fan but I wanted to start in the center and work out.  I finally decided to start with a circular shape and work outward from there.  It looks a little like a flower but it will only look that way at the center.  I think once a quilt is finished and in use on a bed or couch, no one really looks at the quilting (unless it's another quilter), especially if the front of the quilt is bright with colors and patterns. 

I'm comparing quilting threads.  The threads I've used in the past are

• DMC skeins.  They shrank a lot when the quilt was washed.  I mean a LOT!  I expect a quilt to shrink in the wash but this was surprising.

• Americana Quilting Thread, 100% glaced cotton.  (On left in the photo above.)  I was surprised at how stiff it was, almost wiry, but it stitched fine.  I bought it at JoAnn Fabrics.
• a spool of thread from John C. Meyer & Co.:  Meyer Hub D24.  (In the center, above.)  I found this at our local recycle center.  It didn't say 100% cotton on the spool but I tested it and found that it's all natural fiber.  It was thicker than the Americana thread but I liked it a lot.  It felt substantial, like it could withstand a lot of use, and it stitched pretty easily.
• Essentials cotton thread by Connecting Threads.  (On the right, above.)  Others have used this thread and reported online that they liked it a lot.  When I opened the package I was surprised at how thin it was.  I think it's a 50 weight.  Somehow it just doesn't seem like quilting thread to me.  

Of the three threads above, can you see the difference in thickness?   Does the Connecting Threads on the right look like the thinnest?  Did I get it wrong when I chose any one of them?  Is it quilter's choice and anything goes or are there some threads that are better than others?  I'm wondering if the Connecting Threads thread is for machine sewing and not hand quilting.

If you hand quilt, please share your favorite thread and what you like/don't like about any threads you've used.  Please also tell me what threads you wouldn't use for hand quilting.  Thanks.

This is a W.i.P. (Work in Progress) post and I'm linking to W.i.P. Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Happy stitching,
--Nancy.

P.S.  I don't have anything to do with any of these companies other than buying their threads.
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