I love Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon batting for machine quilting. The very first quilt I made was hand-quilted with this batting. It was not easy to hand needle. With the additional options available today, I would opt for Quilter's Dream or some other batting specifically designated as excellent for hand quilting. The look of the MM Blue Ribbon batting was wonderful; it's just that the impurities in the batting create drag for the needle.
I would suggest investing in several battings and doing a test swatch for each before choosing one to make a quilt.