Thank you sooooo much for listing your own personal preferences for batting and needles. I will learn from them!!! I have a box of John James size of #11s that I have used for applique. Will try them for hand quilting. I know some needles that I have used for hand quilting in the past would snap and brake easy...but it was probably because I was using warm and natural for quilting...and warm and natural was hard for me to hand quilt with. But now that I have learned more of the right type batting to use for hand quilting I won't have that problem with the thinner needles. Will keep you updated!!!...and thank you again to all who posted for me!