Hello Mr. Tom. Greetings from England. Since my hands no longer can do my quilting, I invested earlier this year in a Janome QC (quilters companion) and it does everything except the washing up. I got a very good deal from my supplier who gave me extra feet including the 1/4inch and walking foot. I did a lot of research before I settled on this one, and I paid £289 for it. Sorry I can't convert in dollars. Hope this is useful, put together with all the other advice you are getting. Sylvia