Hi Joan of PA,
Your question is great, since I do almost everything by hand and the truth is the sewing machine makes me nervous I have no idea why because it makes the process so much quicker. I will piece with the machine and have quilted by machine, I get very tense and then my neck and shoulders pay the price. Hand quilting is how I relax and I have no earthly idea what I'm thinking about when I'm doing it, I just know that I love it. Hand quilting is quite an art although, machine quilting takes a lot of time and practice too and is just as beautiful. Try some small pieces and see what you enjoy the most.
dsj