I agree. Do whatever you can do comfortably and whatever produces the effect you want. There are hoops on a stand which sits on your lap and there is even one you can sit on and hold the hoop on your lap. The tension is something you learn after you do a certain amount of quilting,but there must be some looseness so your under finger can push the fabric up for the needle to slide through the fabric. I bought a very large thimble and hammered the top into a concave shape. I then lined the thimble with moleskin and I wear it on my under finger. The edge of the concave rim on the thimble makes it easy to redirect the needle to the top again.