Compare the Bohin #9 Crewel and John James #26 Chenille Needles 

First, give yourself time to find the rhythm again. It is possible your batting is the problem. The thicker (and denser) the batt, the harder it is to go small. I use Quilter's Dream Request Weight... it's cotton and very thin. If your batt is too thick, it is going to be hard to get small stitches. For the smaller stitches with hand quilting thread (glazed maybe?), try either the Clover or John James, they are good needles. I use a #12 for hand quilting with that weight thread, but if you want to go bigger, the #10 hand quilting needle will work. Embroidery floss is not a good choice for hand quilting. It is not twisted tightly enough to hold together well when pulled through all the layers many times. If you use more strands, it gets thick and harder to pull through layers. I would suggest perle cotton instead and there are a variety of weights to choose from. The thicker the thread, the bigger the needle will need to be. Sashiko needles might work, or you may need to go to a chenille or embroidery needle. I hope this helps!

@@BeckyGoldsmith Thank you! It sure does help! I have used embroidery floss in the past for my large decorative stitches, but I’ve seen in RU-vid that many large stitch hand quilters recommend the perle cotton thread. I’m looking forward to trying it.

@@BeckyGoldsmith Also, my batting does seem a little troublesome to me. I chose Warm and Natural cotton. It is thin, but it seems tightly packed, and has some irregularities and imperfections like little woody natural cotton fibers.

@@nattamused9074 Yeah... that would not be my first, second, or even third choice. It's great for some projects but not so much for hand quilting.