I need a new machine here at home, I cannot afford a mid arm or a long arm, either financially or even space wise. I think I have narrowed it down to Janome being the brand name, but what I really need to know is.....what bells and whistles do I really need? There are a few different machines, some are more basic than others (ex; more stitches available). I do not trust a man to sell me a machine that does not use it to do the same thing I want to do. He may know everything about all the machines but he is not a quilter.
Long story short....what features are absoloutley essential to you to have on your machine to get the job done?

Needle up down.

try hancock fabrics. i was in same boat when i started last year. janome 8077 had needle up down, the blanket stitch for applique and a bunch of others. I still use it a lot even though i just bought a 1600 P-QC. Runs about 250 on sale if I remember right. They even still carry it. saw it in the mailing last week or this week.

Only bad thing is it isnt from a janome dealer. BUT you could try a dealer and ask about used machines and trade ins too! sometimes they even have a little layaway plan.

Knee lift lever is key for me. When I'm piecing or quilting, it is so helpful to use my knee to lift the presser foot while keeping both hands on the fabric. Needle up/down is also very important.

Needle up/down, auto thread cutter, knee lift (great to use while doing applique), and several embroidery stitches and an alphabet. I have a MC6600P Janome. Now if we could just find one that will vacuum itself out at the push of a button!

You can't go wrong with a Janome. Go to your local shop and try the various ones out. There is a large range of prices to choose from. Needle up and needle down, the ability to move the needle right or left, knee lift is nice if you do machine applique. Mine have never been in the repair shop and I have had one of them over 10 yrs. the others are newer. ALso aome people might not know this but use ONLY Janome bobbins in them. I had a lady put a metal bobbin in her machine and it messed up the timeing. Enjoy

My have to have feature is that the needle can be moved a stitch width at a time. My next have to have is a built in needle threader that is easy to use. The thread cutter is a time saver and the needle up/down is nice. I have a knee lift and have never used it.

Oh Bella, you need to try the knee lift lever. You'll wonder how you went all this time without it!

My main have to have is the knee lift feature and the needle up and down. Several applique stitches are mandatory. Good luck.

Needle down, and the ability to move the needle left/right.
Blanket stitch, a few other decorative stitches, needle threader and a 5mm stitch width, but 7mm is nicer :wink: :D:D:D