Roselady, keep in mind you can use a walking foot to quilt; free-motion isn't your only option. With a walking foot (and the feed dogs up) it's possible to do straight lines, cross-hatching, and gentle curves. If appliques are larger so they don't have very tight curves, you can even use a walking foot to echo quilt. (You just have to stop and lift the presser foot frequently to adjusts the angle of the quilt feed.) It takes time to master free-motion quilting; meanwhile, quilting with a walking foot is relatively easy.