There are so many different ways of hand sewing hexie quilts, I would suggest deciding on your method first. When I tried it, I discovered that I am really bad at whip stitching and do not enjoy it. After looking at other methods, I found that I greatly prefer simply piecing hexies together like any other hand quilting -- with a running stitch. Jinny Beyer uses this method; your library may have her book on hand piecing.
These days I would probably use my Accuquilt Go! to cut out the hexies. What I did in the past, however, was cut strips of fabric to fit two sides of an Ardco hexagon template (
http://www.ardcotemplates.com/ ). These templates are good for using with a rotary cutter because they are metal and have an anti-skid coating on one side. I got the window template so I could use a mechanical pencil to mark corners. I found it was not necessary to mark all sides of the fabric pieces; just marking the corners was enough.
To make a kit, I would cut out and mark hexies in advance (just the corners). Applique pins are very short, very sharp, and very fine. They work great for matching corners before you piece. You don't need many; just a half dozen in a small pincushion will work just fine, as you are usually using only two at a time.
Another good thing to do is find a needle size and length that you like -- and brand; they vary in sharpness. John James needles are one of the good brands.
You will want a thread cutter. If you use scissors, you will probably want a small pair with large handles.
I really liked working on a lap table -- big bean bag bottom, flat top.
You need some kind of basket or plastic case to hold all the components.
Edit: Personally, I wouldn't start too small with the hexagons. If I am not feeling well, I would prefer to work with slightly larger pieces than really tiny pieces. Plus, it looks as if you are accomplishing more!
Edit 2: Instead of a pincushion, you might want to get a magnetic needle case:
http://www.amazon.com/Wrights-882130...dp/B000AMB9R6/
I really like mine because it seems as if I can keep track of my needle and pins much better with it. It's a good idea to always count your pins and needles to make sure you haven't lost one in your clothing or in the bed! For this reason, it's also good to keep just one needle and a couple of pins out at one time.