If you are hand quilting you want a little give inside the hoop though, not too tight or you can't get the rocking motion quite right. I made that mistake when I did my first hand quilting. I also recommend eleanor burns, see what your local library has and see if there are any beginner classes around. Most will want you to machine piece though. Start with something simple like 6 inch squares in a one patch throw or lap quilt, nothing too big to start with or you may get overwhelmed. Use a good quality batting too, nothing too puffy unless you really want it puffy, that is. Good luck! There are a lot of good sites on the web where you can get free patterns but taking a class really helps.
