Hi Kristel, welcome from Nebraska!
I taught myself to quilt by reading quilting magazines and books. There is no end to what you can read and watch on the internet. When you don't know a term that someone uses means just Google it to find the answers your looking for. It might be faster to take a class or several but if you really want that stack of quilts (which was my fantasy to start with and still is today,lol)it is possible to learn on your own.
As far as a bigger machine to quilt on, you might want to look into a Juki (9" throat) or a Bailey (13" throat) machine. There are tons of other ones and they can go as high in price as $6-7K and not even be a long arm quilting machine. I would start with at least something with a 9" throat and work up from there before I spent a ton of money on a machine. You may find that quilting really isn't your thing, though I can't imagine that, LOL!!!
Best wishes!
Rose L