I, too, learned to quilt by hand first and love to as you say to "lose" myself in the serenity of rocking my needle in and out. I used to use beeswax or parafin on my quilting thread but found it left a stainning residue so I began using dryer sheets. My allergies and asthma got worse so I now use a pincushion filled with my own hair (that came out of my hairbrush...I dont cut my hair) and this makes my needle and thread glide more smoothly thru the quilt. I also thread several needles on to the thread spool and just pull one and the thread to working lenth and so rotate my needles. I use a size 9 and 10 needle because smaller needles help you make smaller stitches. I have listened to many audio books and movies while I quilt!! Very peaceful and relaxing.