I have a Brother 4000 that I bought from Wal-Mart for $129.00. It has 40 stitches on it, and it will easily do the applique that you are looking for. Once you find a machine that you like (as they said - try it out first if you can), then practice on scrap fabric. Practice makes perfect! You don't need an expensive machine to do that. I was doing it with my 30 year old machine (it died - so bought the Brother) You really only need a wide zigzag st, that you can turn into a satin st. (zigzags very close together) and some patience/practice.