I agree with these posts that it is probably a very good idea to make a small sandwich out of muslin and practice on it first. I have only one hoop and sew on extension strips (I used an old ugly sheet) to make the quilt large enough to fit. I really like using a hoop that isn't fixed, since I tend to move the hoop all over the place to keep it in a comfortable place on my lap. It's easily moved to another room or chair (or car), too. I like being able to change the angle of the hoop and turn it easily as I progress. Good basting sure helps, as it does with any quilting method. Check out the tutorials online. Enjoy the hand quilting! I have nothing against machine quilting, but there is just something special that's added to a quilt you've quilted by hand.