Originally Posted by Grandma Mary

Glad you are getting into quilting. If you decide it makes sense to spend less money and buy a smaller machine to see if you really like quilting, I say go for it. :-)
However, DON"T do what I did and buy a machine that says it's made for quilting. Be SURE it really CAN do the job. I bought a wonderful Brother CS6000i for $180, It comes with the extension table, the darning/FM foot, walking foot, needle down position etc. and I absolutely LOVE it... EXCEPT it doesn't have ANY room between the needle and the side of the machine (I'm a newbie and don't know what the side is called)!!!! For my quilting 101 class, I can't machine quilt my 72" x72" quilt because it won't fit, and I was very frustrated. Take someone with you that knows about quilting when shopping that you can trust. Have fun!