I agree, it is hard to sit under a quilt in the summer. I solved this problem by doing a quilt-as-you-go system. I Put my indiviual blocks together- top, batting, and backing-and than a fast hand baste. I then quilt the individual blocks. Later I sew the blocks together.
My main complant as a hand quilter, is the way my LQS treats me like dirt. The noses sure go up in the air fast if I'm looking for notions or "hand needles" instead of machine needles! I know they make more money on machine quilters because they can start and finish projects faster, but Hey hand quilters have feelings too!