Hi, I am really new to quilting too but I can share my experience with you. I had an Elna that was a very basic machine. I took one quilting class and learned to do machine applique. My machine didn't have the stitch I wanted so I got a Baby Lock Quilter's Choice. I love it and so far it does everything I want. It has the stitches I wanted and a knee-lift lever, which comes in real handy for applique. You might find later on that you like doing one particular thing or another and want a machine with more features - or you may find that you like basic piecing and don't need all of the other features. I guess what I am saying is that I don't think we know as beginners what we will end up doing the most of later on as we learn more and our skills improve. I would say that unless you know what direction you want to go, start out with a basic machine and allow yourself to change or upgrade to another one later. I hope this helps.
