Everyone has such excellent advice. What a great group of people we have around here! :!:
I use Warm and Natural for hand quilting and have never had a problem with it. Ten to fifteen years ago it used to have small cotton seeds in it, which were a nightmare. Not only would the needle hit a seed and either get pushed off to the side (creating uneven stitches) or it would break. :( Worse, the seeds would release oils over the years and leave little rust spots on the quilt that would stain and not come out. Thankfully they have improved over the years and there are no longer any seeds in their batting. That said, I did just buy 6 yards of a batting called Quilter's Dream, which my friends swears by. I haven't used it yet but it seems very popular around here with all the hand quilters.
The stitch used when hand quilting is called the "rocking stitch." It's because you rock the needle back and forth through the fabric, collecting several (3-5) stitches on your needle before pulling everything through. Here is a demonstration from YouTube on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAiBobVNpVY I am a visual person and need to see as well as read instructions in order to grasp the concept so hopefully this helps.
For a beginner I would recommend a Between needle size 8. I use an 11 and 12 but when my arthritis is really bad I will go back to the longer sizes. The higher the number the shorter the needle. Size 12's are very, very small. The thought is that the smaller the needle the smaller the stitches, making it easier to get 12-15 stitches per inch. When I first started to hand quilt and was shown a size 12 needle, I swore there was no way I could ever use anything that darn tiny! Now I can't imagine quilting without the smaller sizes. LOL.
I don't use a hoop. I simply pile the quilt in my lap and begin quilting. I actually quilt a lot more evenly without a hoop, though I do notice I quilt just fine from a regular floor frame. I think you'll probably have to try it both ways to see which you prefer. It sure is beautiful and I hope you will post a picture for us when you are finished!!!!
Piece ~ Tiffany