i have a singer futura ce200 which is about the cheapest embroidery machine you can buy on the market.
i got mine from sew vac direct for $450. the reason its so cheap is because it requires you to hook it up to your computer instead of having a computer on the sewing machine.
the hoop sizes are kinda small but its enough for the stuff i do on quilts.
i do the occasional outline embroidery, like sashiko, and some names/dates thats about it.
you can do sashiko by free motion quilting but i'm not that good at free motion yet. whenever you see the clamshell quilting thats sashiko just do it on indigo fabric with white thread and everyone would agree with you.
i purchased a small whole quilt stencil with various sashiko designs so i could practice doing it by free motion. i plan on making placemats and a table runner.
this is a link to the stencil i purchased
http://www.quiltingcreations.com/pro...oducts_id=2191