the beauty of hand quilting is you don't have to be skillful to begin. my first hand quilting project was a apple core quilt I purchased. my hand quilting friends helped my stretch and make the quilt sandwich. they showed me the thread to use - a waxed off white, helped me with a thimble (such a foreign beast to get used to) and a needle twice as big as real quilters use. I started in the middle with a lap hoop and did one block at a time. 430 blocks and a few months invested it was done. yes the middle blocks have bigger stitches, but by the time I was done, I was hooked. Hand quilting is a zen like experience. Send it to a machine quilter to have it basted and then ask someone to help you get started. I promise you will be so glad you did. I wish you were near Nebraska...I would be honored to help you start.