My DH's grandmother quilts, and made us a queen size quilt when we got married. She does hers in her lap without using a hoop except to get started in the very center.
I'm not sure of the specifics, I've never seen her do it, and I'm just now trying my first hand quilted project, so I'm not qualified to give advice on exactly how it is done.
I know she thread bastes her quilts. And she says the same thing as feline fanatic about how nice it is to have a quilt to work on in the winter!