My mother taught me how to hand quilt and that was with the quilt basted and laying on my lap. Then I did a quilt as you go riding to North Carolina to see her with the squares being hand quilted as my DH drove the 12 hours there and back. I made a whole quilt that way with the 15 inch squares in a neat pile and as each was finished put in a plastic container. I quilted the whole time I was there in the evenings. Having said that, I have tried and tried to do the frames and hoops and finally decided, I was doing pretty good stitching without the hoop that just got in my way. I hand quilt about every 5th quilt I make - baby quilts, queen size quilts, and runners, etc, no hoop just alayin' on my lap.