recommendations for basic machine
 

any recommendations on a new basic sewing machine for everyday sewing and piecing and quilting?
price range about $400 - $500.

You can find a lot of machines in that range. Personally, I like Janome but a lot of people swear by Brother too. I think you will find one that is great. I like Janome because of the quality.

It's really not so much what you buy as where you buy it. Try to get something from a local shop with a good service department - and possibly classes. Think of buying a sewing machine as you would a car. You need to take care of it, and you want a good service group behind you if you have any problems.

Amazon has good prices on Brother machines and maybe Janome. I have a Janome, but I have heard a lot of good things about Brothers as well.

Get the largest throat space you can get.
Needle down feature is great to have.
For me a drop in bobbin is a must also.
I have 3 Brother machines. My first a basic beginner quilting machine for $129 that came with a walking foot and a table, the second is a lightweight for travel that cost $89, the third is a small embroidery machine with just a 4 in embroidery area. Wish I could afford a bigger embroidery but this one was under $300 so it will have to do for learning.
Later I bought a Viking Sapphire for $1100 that has a 10 inch throat and lots of bells and whistles. But my brother is still my backup machine if I ever have to put my Viking in the shop.

Do you have a local sewing machine store....as them about service, and if they have any trade ins....
If not then I would go with a Brother from Amazon, they are super great machines, easy to understand,
great features, you can order parts direct from them on the internet.....

Now that you have a budget I would suggest the brother PC-420 off amazon, because people just have loved that model, one lady even returned a similar mid range to her dealer because she liked the one from amazon better. I love my brothers, the only non brother I had was my espire but it was made by brother. They are the most user friendly. I used all mine right out of the box no problem. Manuals are well written

I have only one machine... a Brother that I bought in Walmart 6 years ago for under $100.. St..ill running great

I think it depends on what you want out of your machine... If you want piecing speed, I'd consider a Brother 1500 series machine. It's a little above your limit but you might be able to score one used. A lot of people buy them to use on a quilt frame and then figure out that there isn't enough throat space to do much of anything. It's doable but you have to really learn to cut your quilting motifs down and turn quilts, etc.

I have a friend who purchased this machine through Walmart.com and it is a good machine and came with all that she needed or wanted for an entry level machine... http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-Co...S6000I/4764726
It even has a walking foot and the table extension. I *think* she had to buy a 1/4 quilting foot but it was very cheap and available at Walmart, Joanns, Hancock's etc.

I would have to echo this advice. Never underestimate the value of customer service. So nice to be able to get help in person or be taught how to maintain good working order of your machine. A lot of local stores do offer this when you buy the machine from them.