Ditto to what everyone else suggested. Also, it's easier to make smaller stitches if you go on the bias instead of on grain - there's more flex in the top that way.
I get my smallest stitches with polyester batting. I'm using wool right now, and I like that it has more "puff" than thin polyester, but I don't think it's that much easier to quilt.
Using a quilt frame is a whole different experience because you can't turn the quilt around like you can with a hoop. I use a frame, but I taught myself to quilt in different directions in order to use it.
Janet