I started out quilting on my regular machine. Just doing free motion on the borders worked OK. I have since invested in a Juki machine with a nine inch throat. Freed me up to try free motion on the whole quilt. My machine was 599.00. Seemed like a lot at the time, but when I look at the price of other machines it not to bad. Had to save for a while, but it was worth the price. I know I've gotten more than 599 in fun out of it.