If you are using regular thread then that might be part of the problem. Hand quilting thread has a finish applied to it to give it strenth and keep it from tangling. Regular thread doesn't, to my knowledge, have such a finish.
Suggest when you go to JoAnn you look in the bin for Americana thread. It is very good for hand quilting and is ony .99 a spool. Not a wide range of colors. If not that then look for a thread that says hand quilting. Then use bees wax or Thread Heaven to run your thread thru, even tho it has a finish. I use Thread Heaven or the Tacky Finger from the office supply store that you use for sorting paper. This works better than anything I have ever used for preventing thread tangle. I also suggedt a #8 Between needle. Not a long skinny one you suggest. the long skinny one will bend or break.