I don't know why the LA people you talk to have a problem with embroidery on the quilts. I've done a couple and they are very doable. You don't have to spend that much. My suggestion is that you watch the quilt magazines and look for the machine quilting expos. Go to one, they have most if not all of the machines there. You know that they make mid arm machines. You don't have as much quilting space, but you don't spend as much for them either. And you don't need all the bells and whistles to do a nice job of quilting. My Gammill Premier on a home-pro table works great. No stitch regulator, may take a little more learning curve, but not necessary. Edge to edge patterns or pantos will go right over your embroidery, which if it is hand that works and looks great. If you are talking machine embroidery that could be a problem with the dense stitching. Bach to the shows, I ramble, you can test drive all of the and decide what would work and feel good to you and your budget. I wouldn't jump into machine a decision without a lot of research and thought. Oh yes, I have quilted large queens on my DSM and did very well, if you have enough table space to help support the quilt. It is very doable then.
PS Just thought that some of the DSM companies are now making machines with long spaces between the needle and the motor especially for quilting. Another thing to consider. :lol: