I didn't know what AOTH was either. NEVER heard that used on this site before.
I agree with Tartan. Hand quilting black stitches on black fabric is going to be very hard to see how your stitches are coming out. It is very difficult to stitch on black fabric. I normally for piecing use a medium grey so I can see my stitches.
I would make a small sandwich (top being the black, the batting being a scrap and the backing being any fabric) and try hand quilting with different colors of thread such as the gold or a color in the quilt. This will give you an idea of what the actually quilting will look like. It is hard to give advice without a photo.