i'm one of the out of hoop most of the time hand quilters---it does depend on the project though- sometimes a hoop works better for me---as for those little 'between' needles- they are definitely not for me---i use milners or straw needles to quilt- and people do comment on how small my stitches are- so don't let anyone tell you you have to use a tiny needle to make tiny stitches---not so! sometimes i will use a 'sharp' but most of the time i use john james milner needles which are quite long (especially compared to what is considered a quilting needle. i was taught to use what works best for me---individually- in fact in my first hand quilting class the instructor had about 10-15 different needles---types, sizes, brands for us to try- then we started quilting with the ones we each liked best...she let us know there is no right or wrong---except what does not work for us is wrong- what does work is right
it was one of the best classes i ever took!