I have often wondered about making a quilt from 100% linen because I adore its texture.
I make almost all of my own clothing from linen. My white and natural linen pieces have lasted through several hundred washings each and still have lots of wear left, the dyed pieces fade about the same as quilting cottons. I pre-wash 2-3 times (wash in warm water with detergent and vinegar rinse, dry all the way, wash in cool water, dry all the way, wash in cool water, dry all the way) to be sure that the shrinkage is done. My preferred seam finish for longevity is a french seam; a felled seam will perform just the same, but takes longer. I edge-stitch hems, cuffs, and collars. Sometimes I use my serger to finish a seam, but only for speed, I don't like the way the stitches wear with lots of usage. All of these methods involve at least two lines of stitching. I use tear away stabilizers for buttonholes and Steam A Seam lite 1/4" for hems and edge stitching.
If I were to quilt with linen, I would reserve it for sashings, borders, and as a background for applique. I would either use two lines of straight stitching or one line of straight stitching and serge the raw edges.
I don't use a special sewing machine needle, but I do use the same 100% cotton thread I would use for piecing.