I can't offer you any tips for hand quilting, as I have only hand quilted one full size quilt, then I switched to machine quilting. I have taken quilt classes on hand quilting and I think the best advice I got was not to aim for the smallest stitches, but to aim for consistency, and making the stitches even. This may sound weird, but don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do something when you are making a quilt, or have them tell you a quilt is "too advanced or difficult". Go with your "gut", whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability and don't expect perfection. I believe the Amish deliberately put a mistake in every quilt because only God is perfect. Fortunately for me, that's not a problem, as there will always be some mistake somewhere, but fortunately I found them before I finished the quilt. The best advice I can give you is to enjoy the process of making a quilt, I like to think that I have left a little bit of myself in every quilt I make. Enjoy and welcome to the wide world of quilting as well as the Quilting Board where you can find friendly quilters who are kind enough to answer any of your questions.