Welcome, and I am new to this site too. As well as new to Texas. And it is only cold here for a short time!! I grew up where we joked about our winters being 9 months long!! And with lots of snow (3 - 5 feet of it for the winter). So, I am enjoying Texas.
I have been quilting for only a couple of years, so I am still learning some of the tricks too.
Again welcome, and keep up the hand quilting - it is a dying art.